Seven Days of Soulmates
by brite
Summary: Inui hadn't really intended to make that love potion. Sakuno hadn't intended to drink it either. A story of unwanted suitors, crazed fangirls, and far too many kisses to remember. Run, Sakuno, run! *Fourth Day up*
1. Prologue

**Author's note: Woohoo! First multi-chapter fic! I've been working on this since last November, and I'm finally far enough along to start posting. I plan to update every week to two weeks. This is not related to Unrequited Love for Dummies, but feel free to go read that too!**

**I'm writing the names the Japanese way: last name first. I'm also using some Japanese words in this one, so there are translations at the bottom. Cookies for reviewers! **

Disclaimer: It's a bummer, but Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi, not me. Oh well.

Prologue: In Which Sakuno Has A Revelation

"Ryoma-kun?"

Fifteen-year-old Ryuuzaki Sakuno walked quickly through the halls, her head turning this way and that, anxiously clutching a package to her chest. Today was the day. Today she would finally give Ryoma the bento she had poured her heart and soul into. And this time he would love it. Sure, her earlier attempts had never been very successful, but _this_ bento was sure to warrant approval.

He would take it, a little dubiously of course, with that cute blank look. And she would tell him, all the words she had been longing to say, but too frightened to form. She would be brave, no childish blushing or stuttering. Once she was finished, this—this Look would come into his eyes. And then, his eyes never leaving hers, he would—he would—

"Oof!" Sakuno fell backwards, hitting the ground hard. Her bento went flying. It burst open, covering her in rice and fish. The onigiri she had shaped so carefully, the tempura she had burned her fingers to make rolled and splutted on the ground. Her masterpiece, which had taken her over three hours, was ruined. Sakuno lifted her head and her eyes widened.

"Ittai," muttered Echizen Ryoma as he rubbed the arm she had unknowingly crashed in to. Sakuno scrambled to her feet.

"G-gomen nasai, Ryoma-kun. I didn't mean—I was hurrying and—ano…" she trailed off into silence. Ryoma glanced at her.

"It's fine," he said flatly. He turned to go, but Sakuno spoke.

"I—It was for you." she said, staring down at the ground, talking faster and faster. She wrung her hands together as her voice got progressively quieter. "I—I was g-going to give it to you, because," she whispered, barely audible, "because I—I really—"

"Echizen! What are you doing?" interrupted the irate voice of Momoshiro as he thudded down the hall. "We have practice, hurry u—" He stopped short when he caught sight of Sakuno. A grin began on his face. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, Ryuuzaki was just being clumsy again," replied the cat-eyed boy bluntly. He turned back to Sakuno.

"Ryuuzaki, do you need help?" Sakuno stared at him, an odd sort of rushing in her her ears, then spoke softly.

"No, it's fine, I'll clean it up myself," she said hollowly. Momoshiro frowned as he glanced back in forth between the two. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ryoma cut him off.

"Ja ne, Ryuuzaki" and then he was gone, walking casually towards the tennis courts, Momoshiro following in his wake.

For a long time Sakuno stood quietly in the hall. Her head bowed, and a few salty drops fell to mix with the grubby remnants of her bento. And then, a tiny sigh.

"Sayounara, Ryoma-kun."



Inui squinted at the slip of paper.

He inspected it closely, peered at it, examined it.

Well, sure, it _said_, **Do Not, on Pain of Most Gruesome Death, Ever make this**, but what did that mean _exactly_? Was it an actual death warning or more of an If-you-are-an-incompetent-moron-don't-attempt-this sort of warning?

Inui Sadaharu knew that he was definitely not a moron. Ergo, he wasn't going to be intimidated by silly messages that clearly weren't meant for him either.

Plus, he was _dying _to try it.

The directions looked impossibly finicky and the ingredients were…fascinating. The edge of the page was ragged, but all the instructions were legible, so Inui thought there was a good chance (73.7 to be exact) that whatever was missing wasn't really that important. He was far too excited to care much anyway.

It wasn't that he didn't enjoy brewing his juices, oh no. He still loved the team's reaction: Eiji's terrified giggle, the way that Momo's eyes bugged, the slight green pallor on Kaidoh's face, Tezuka's frown of stoic disapproval. It was great, but it was also becoming too familiar. He hadn't had a challenge, a _real_ challenge, in a long time. But this recipe would be something else.

So what if he didn't know what it did?



A dark lot. Leaves rustling in a cold wind. Six shadows.

"Hayakawa Yumiko. Seishun Gakuen, second year. Five feet, four inches tall. 112 pounds. Leo, Blood type AB. Only child."

Eyes widening. Hands shaking. One of the shadows steps back.

"W-what do you want?"

"You are in violation of Codes I and II, Sections 12, 15, 48 and 51: Neglecting your duties for personal reasons not cleared with the organization."

Four shadows close in.

"I had a test that day!"

"Speaking to Him unaccompanied without express permission of an organization superior. Forcing your feelings upon Him without informing the organization in the correct procedure. Knowingly concealing said actions from the organization."

Fists clench.

"I never—!"

"The organization is not interested in your lies, Hayakawa-san. We know what you did. We _always_ know."

Eyes full of tears. Voice cracking.

"It wasn't me, I swear! That—that new girl, Takada-san, she made me do it! Umi-san, please believe me, I would never willingly—"

"And yet, you did." A small sigh. "Hayakawa-san, your parents are doing well, are they not?"

Silence.

"Your father, Hayakawa Tobito, works at the publishing house, and your mother is a clerk for the bank. Recently however, due to the slight recession, both of their businesses have been having trouble. There has been talk of layoffs. Your parents are hard workers, but they do not have seniority. If the issue became pressing, they would be among the first to go. And the need could become pressing very easily."

"You can't do that!"

The echo of footsteps, growing louder. One shadow moves forward, another shrinks back.

"An empty gesture, Hayakama-san. Really, I expected better of you. You of all people should know I do not make idle threats."

Knees trembling. Slow steps continue, calm and measured.

"You will leave this school. Tell your parents whatever you like. You are sick, the classes are not challenging enough, you have no friends. Do not worry about your parents. They will keep their jobs, providing that you cooperate. You will cooperate, won't you, Hayakama-san?"

Shoulders shaking. Tears catch the light of a distant street lamp.

"Your travel expenses have already been paid for. The principal of Yoshikawa Gakuen is overjoyed to hear about the new transfer student."

The steps halt. A package changes hands.

"Here are your new student ID and your ticket. Your train leaves tomorrow at 5:30 am. Some of our members"—a nod towards the shadows—"will escort you, for your own safety. Do you understand?"

A dejected bow of the head. Then, a whisper, pure poison.

"If I ever hear that you have been within a fifty mile radius of the school, I will… _attend_ to you personally."

Paralyzed. Numb, totally numb.

"The Ryoma-sama Fan Club thanks you for your cooperation."



_The following morning_

Sakuno put down her scrub brush. She wiped at her eyes with her free hand, determinedly not feeling sorry for herself.

Or thinking about the events of yesterday afternoon.

At least he hadn't rejected her. After all, it didn't really count as rejection if she didn't get the chance to confess beforehand, did it?

_I'm so pathetic._

No! No, don't think, just work. That's why she had asked Inui-sempai anyway.

He had looked rather surprised at her question. She supposed that made sense. People probably didn't offer to clean his lab often. Well…normal people probably didn't.

But after what happened she just couldn't go home right away; try to pretend that everything was fine. So she had stayed after school and thrown herself heart and soul into cleaning. And today she was back. But no matter how much she scrubbed, worries and thoughts and emotions kept resurfacing.

She hadn't done as good a job as she should have last night. She had averted most of the questioning by telling Obaa-chan that she was just a little under the weather, but the formidable old lady hadn't seemed entirely convinced. Well, as long as she didn't figure it out, she could be as suspicious as she liked. Part of Sakuno had wanted to tell her grandmother, to curl up in her lap and cry and be comforted, but her more practical side knew better. If Obaa-chan were to find out, she'd get violent, and drag it out, and it would be even worse.

Tomo-chan would be just as bad. It was one of the reasons she hadn't told her friend about her plan. Just in case it didn't go well.

The tears were coming faster now. This time Sakuno used her sleeve.

Who was she kidding anyway? Ryoma-kun wouldn't have liked it. He never liked it. The truth of it was, Ryoma-kun just didn't care. It wasn't that he meant to be mean, or that he disliked her especially.

He Just. Didn't. Care.

She had always known really. But some part of her, some stupid, idealistic, naïve part of her had hoped…and just never stopped hoping. Hoped that he would grow to care for her, hoped that someday he would laugh with her, think of her.

Or even just _look_ at her.

Sakuno bit her lip.

It just wasn't going to happen. She had to accept it. Three years of devotion was enough. Three years of waiting.

She was done.

Sakuno dried her eyes and stood up. She dusted the table, working her way around the delicate glass phials. She would have to start addressing him differently. Echizen-san? No, that was too formal. People would suspect something. Ryoma-san then? No, first name basis was definitely too close for comfort. Echizen-kun? She tasted the phrase. Echizen-kun. Yes, that was better. Polite but not familiar.

For the first few weeks she would avoid him as best she could, until she was confident that she could speak to him as a fellow schoolmate, an equal. Which might be a long time.

Sakuno sighed. She scanned the lab for anything she might have missed. Windows cleaned, bookshelves dusted, floor washed, table scrubbed, and…had she really polished the doorknob? In fact, the only part of the room that wasn't sparkling was the very back corner between the bookshelf and the supply cabinet. It wasn't for lack of trying either. Her arm was too short to reach.

Well, it looked like she was done. Now it was time for her payment. She eyed the bottles on the table nervously. _"The small blue bottle," _Inui-sempai had said. In reaction to her terrified glance, he assured her that it only contained lemonade.

It was really kind of him and she _was_ thirsty. There was only one problem.

There were two small blue bottles.

Cautiously, she smelled the contents of the first.

Sakuno quickly grabbed on to the table, taking deep breaths as her stomach made a valiant attempt to expel her breakfast. Once her stomach had stopped churning, she—_very_ cautiously—sniffed the second. It had a light, pleasant scent, with a lemony zest. She sighed in relief, and in a few minutes she had downed the contents. It was the best she had ever tasted, and she rinsed out the bottle as a thank you.

She placed it carefully back on the table, and then promptly plummeted to the floor in a dead faint.



Deep in the shadows of the hard-to-reach corner of the lab laid a scrap of paper. It was torn along the side, and dirty, but the writing scrawled on it was still legible.

**_Seven Days of Soulmates_**

_First for the love of yesterday, closest to the heart,_

_Born of adoration, and doomed from the start._

_Second for the feared, most frightening to behold,_

_With terrible exterior but heart of shining gold_

_Third for the one overlooked most often,_

_An annoyance, a pest, frequently forgotten._

_Fourth for the friend of true and steady trust,_

_An unexpected ally who will do as needs must._

_Fifth for the lesser known: acquaintance, colleague, stranger,_

_Those most likely to lead the drinker in to danger._

_Sixth for the enemy, full of malice, hate, and bile,_

_A formidable test, the drinker's greatest trial _

_Seventh for the love of devotion most pure,_

_If one such can not be found, there shall be no cure._

_--_

**Woohoo, Cliffhanger! Next up is Chapter One: In which Ryoma gets a little more than he bargined for. **

**Thanks for reading! Now, you see the blue button? :3**

Japanese Words

Bento: lunch

Onigiri: rice ball

Tempura: deep fried vegetables and shrimp

Ittai: Ouch

Gomen nasai: I am very sorry

Ano: Um, well

Ja ne: See ya

Sayoonara: Good bye

Sempai: Upperclassman

Obaa-chan: Grandmother


	2. The First Day

**Hello again! First off, I'd like to say _thank you_ for the reviews everyone. They make my writer's heart do a happy dance. Consider yourselves showered with reviewer cookies. :D Sorry I haven't replied to them individualy; my server has been evil. ****Anyway, I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is so very not mine.

_First for the love of yesterday, closest to the heart,_

_Born of adoration, and doomed from the start._

The First Day

Sakuno opened her eyes.

_Why am I lying on the floor? _She blinked blearily, trying to take in her surroundings. Empty room with large windows, the underside of a tall table, shelves full of…pickled things in jars? She sat up quickly. A little too quickly, her aching head informed her. Sakuno rested for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to subside.

So she was in the science lab. But why? Her eyebrows furrowed. She had been…cleaning…yes, that was it. Cleaning for Inui-sempai. And then…she must have fallen. Why else would she be lying on the ground?

Slowly she got to her feet. How much time had passed?

The clock on the wall read 7:30, so school hadn't started yet. Sakuno sighed in relief. In fact, she had probably been out for only a few minutes really.

Sakuno wiped her forehead. She noticed with displeasure that the hard morning's cleaning had made her braids frizzy. She slid the elastics out of her long hair, and quickly finger-combed it.

First, she re-parted it, two equal sections, just as she had thousands of times before. Next, she parted one section into three, careful to keep them even as well. Then it was the rightmost lock of hair over the center, then the leftmost. Right over, left over, right, left, right.

Pokpok. Pokpok. Popok. Pokpok.

Hollow sounds from outside the empty classroom, outside the building.

Sakuno finished one braid and started another, unconsciously keeping time.

Raquet, ball, ground, ball, ground, racket.

Right over, left over, right over, left over.

Done.

Braids retied, Sakuno looked out the window. That's right, the tennis team was having their morning practice.

Well, since she was finished, she might as well go watch them. To watch the whole team, _not _to ogle Ryo—Echizen-kun she reminded herself sternly. She was just going because there wasn't anything else to do.

Right.

And Tezuka-sempai was the Easter Bunny.

She sighed. This forgetting about Ryoma-kun thing was going to be harder than she had anticipated.



She finally made it down to the tennis courts, but only after tripping over her own feet at least three times (she was especially clumsy in the morning). It was with no small relief she grabbed the wire link fence. She began to watch.

There were the regulars. Kawamura, a gentle giant off the court, and a raving juggernaut with a racket in his hand. She was glad his parents had changed their minds and allowed him to continue playing. Inui, his glasses gleaming, always ready to test another foul concoction on his helpless teammates or collect their data. (Well, _he_ called it "collecting data." Sakuno secretly suspected that Inui-sempai was just nosy and a natural eavesdropper.)

Then Eiji, bouncy and fun-loving, with a personality as bright as his vibrant red hair, and whose nonsensical phrases and inexhaustible energy made him seem childlike despite his seventeen years. Oishi, calm and caring, constantly looking out for everyone else in the way that had earned him the nickname Oishi-mama. Fuji, with his frightening, razor-sharp intellect hidden behind an ever-present smile, a sempai of whom Sakuno was both very fond and very afraid.

There was also Kaido, wearing his trademark bandana, whose incredible tenacity and unrelenting work ethic made him respected, and whose terrifying face made him feared. (Although she was ashamed to admit it, Sakuno was still a little scared of him.)

She was definitely not afraid of his rival, however. Momoshiro, or Momochan-sempai, had a mercurial nature: quick to anger and quick to laugh. Her spiky-haired sempai generally had a friendly, easy-going personality, which made him easy to talk to. His fast temper however was always getting him into fights, especially with Kaido. He was also the closest person Ryo—no, _Echizen_-kun had to a friend.

Finally, Tezuka-sempai, the human personification of the word 'formidable.' Tennis skills at pro level, and an inscrutable poker face that put even Echizen-kun's to shame. And then…there was no one else worth looking at.

No one at all.

And even if there were, she _still_ wouldn't look at him.

The regulars were working on their ball skills in an accuracy drill that she had seen one time before. They were paired off: Inui and Momoshiro, Fuji and Eiji, Oishi and Kaido, Kawamura and Ryo--the boy whom she was busily forgetting. Tezuka-boucho was supervising, his face grim as always.

One of each pair served a ball, while the other smashed it into one of four different baskets. Before they smashed however, they also called out a color. Squinting, Sakuno could see that the stripes on the balls being served were different colors.

Her mouth fell open. They were actually judging in a split second what the color was and then hitting the balls to their according baskets.

She would consider herself lucky if she hit the ball period.

Suddenly, a sharp pain lanced through her head. Before she even had time to gasp, it was gone again. Sakuno rubbed her forehead in puzzlement.

_That was strange._

She turned back to watch the practice, but found she couldn't concentrate. This time, instead of pain, a foggy softness spread through her brain. It was a light, pleasant feeling. The lightness traveled downward, immersing her entire body.

**Go.**

Sakuno soon found herself walking, no, more like floating to the entrance gate of the courts. Her gaze locked on a figure wearing a white Fila cap.

**Him.**

She didn't even remember opening the gate. Now she was walking faster, her body full of purpose. Her mind remained blissfully empty. As she strode past, one by one the regulars halted in their routine, confused by the bold appearance of normally shy Ryuuzaki.

Sakuno however only had eyes for the boy now two feet away.

His deep cat-shaped eyes were wide beneath his cap. His dark hair was messy as ever, and Sakuno again resisted the desire to run her fingers through it, to see whether it was really as soft and fine as it looked, just as she did nearly every time she saw him. He was lean and wiry, no extra fat anywhere, and he radiated confidence, a predator in his natural habitat.

He was so beautiful, and for an instant, Sakuno lost the feeling of airy contentment as she stared at him in wonder and slight despair.

How could she have ever believed he would think of her, that he would look at her? She was a lowly insect: timid, mediocre, and constantly struggling even to be average. He was the sun, effortlessly racing through the stars, so far ahead of her she would never catch up. So far beyond her she would never even touch him.

But then the feeling was back, a mind-numbing fog, relentless and all-consuming.

**Now.**

Abruptly, she stopped thinking.

Her small hands grasped the collar of his polo shirt. Her eyes slid closed as she stood on tiptoe and gently pressed her lips to his. She could feel the warmth of sun on her eyelids, and feel the fibers of his shirt that she clenched in her hands. The world was sorrow and longing and waiting, waiting, waiting. The world was being invisible, and silences full of secrets too dear to tell even Tomo-chan. The world was Sakuno and the boy she had watched for over three years.

His mouth was soft and warm, and—she smiled slightly—tasted like Grape Ponta. His lips were still passive however, and did not move against hers. Trying to elicit a response she kissed him even more tenderly, the way she had always wanted to. The way they did in the movies, the way she did in her dreams.

But he did not kiss her back.

The feeling fled, slowly replaced by cold. And then she was pulling away, letting go of his shirt, lowering her feet so that her heels touched the ground.

When she looked once more into his eyes the last of the feeling died. They were wide with shock and alarm. Once coherent thought was possible, the cold slithered into the pit of her stomach.

_What have I done?_

Horrified, she bowed as low as she could. "I-I am so sorry," she stuttered, embarrassed, bewildered, and utterly ashamed of herself. Her mind raced, trying and failing to find a reason for her actions.

And then, another strange feeling.

Her eyes closed. It was as though a wind was blowing through her mind. A rush, and then silence. The wind stopped and Sakuno's eyes opened.

_What am I doing on the boys' tennis courts? _

_And why is everybody staring at me? _



A deep silence pervaded the tennis courts. Anxiously Sakuno scanned the regulars, searching for the reason for the unnatural quiet. They just stared back at her solemnly, even Kikumaru-sempai and Momochan-sempai. Fuji-sempai was smiling, but then, he always smiled. Nervously, she turned to the boy in the Fila cap.

_Why is Ryoma—no, __**Echizen**__-kun—looking at me as though I've sprouted an extra head?_

"E-Echizen-kun," she said, trying to sound like merely a concerned classmate. "Are you alright?"

He continued to stare at her in disbelief.

_Definitely time to go. _"Oh, I've interrupted your practice," she said airily, desperately trying to sound normal. "Sumimasen!"

More blank looks.

_Okay, this is getting weird. _Sakuno made a show of glancing down at her watch.

"Oh no, I'm late to meet Tomo-chan!" she squeaked, "Sayounara Echizen-kun, sempai-tachi!" and with a quick bow she hurried off.



Vice-captain Oishi rubbed his eyes.

"Eiji, I wasn't seeing things was I? Ryuuzaki-san _did_ actually just kiss Echizen?"

"She did, she did!" said his red-haired partner. He bounced over to the smallest of the regulars. "Nyah, O'chibi, why didn't you tell us you had a girlfriend?!"

"She's not my girlfriend." Ryoma said flatly, tugging the bill of his cap down.

"Hmm? That was a very passionate kiss to be receiving from a non-girlfriend." said Fuji, his smile very bland.

"Indeed," said a clinical voice from behind. Ryoma shivered. Inui's square spectacles glinted as he leaned forward.

"That kiss was not a result predicted by any of my current data on the relationship between you and Ryuzaki-san. So," he paused, pencil poised over his ever-available notepad, "How long have you and Ryuzaki been in a secret relationship?" The regulars quickly clustered around; even Kaido drew nearer, curious in spite of himself.

"Secret relationship?" said Eiji, delightfully scandalized. "You mean you were star-crossed lovers? But then… Oh no! O'chibi, you were going to elope with her?!"

"Elope?" echoed Oishi anxiously. "Echizen, you can't. It'll have serious repercussions on your futures!" Momoshiro and Eiji looked at each other nostalgically. "So young! So young!" they chanted, their grins wicked.

"Ano, I know it's not really any of my business, but I don't think it's a good idea either…" said a sheepish Kawamura. "Demo…" He trailed off uncertainly. Fuji helpfully passed him his racket.

"BURNING! Who cares about the rules! Go get her Echizen!" he roared, pointing his racket at Ryoma.

Or, at least, where Ryoma used to be.

"Oi, Echizen, get back here!" yelled Momoshiro at Ryoma's retreating back. The boy made absolutely no sign he had heard, and continued walking. "That little-!"

BRING!

"Oishi." said Tezuka. Oishi glanced over, startled.

"Ah, hai. That was the bell." he said, addressing the remaining players. "Practice is over. See you in the afternoon everyone!"



"Did you hear?"

"This morning, before school—"

"Do you know what she did?

"—that first year, Ryuzaki Sakuno—"

"She what?"

"No way!"

"Can you believe it?"

"—right on the mouth!"

"How dare she!"

"I never would have guessed—"

'She's so lucky!"

"It's always the quiet ones."

"Do you know what else?"

"—secret relationship?"

"Ever since school started?"

"—but he's so—"

"Ever since their first year of middle school?"

"I know! And she's so—"

"Ever since they were _born_?"

"Go figure."

"An arranged marriage—"

"How romantic!"

"Ugh, no fair!"

"So _that's_ why she's always—"



Tiled floor. Flourescent lights, bright, unforgiving. Watching, always watching.

Kure Umi, honor student, Secretary of the Ryoma-sama Fan Club, knelt in the cramped stall, staring down into the water of the toilet bowl, forcing down the bile.

Just another job.

It was necessary. Hayakawa-san had been a nuisance. Something had to be done.

And when something had to be done, Umi was the one who did it.

She retched, dry heaves, hard shudders that wracked her entire body. The tremors passed and slowly she got to her feet, her knees shaking. Panting, she unlocked the door of the stall and stumbled over to the nearest sink, nearly knocking the glasses that sat on its rim to the floor. Trembling fingers felt for the tap.

Water rushed out and Umi cupped her hands. She splashed her face, washing away the sticky residue of spit and sweat. Blearily, she glanced up at the mirror.

The girl in the mirror curled her lip, disgusted at the filth. Her eyes were dull and unfocused, her white shirt stained and wrinkled, untucked on one side. Her short dark hair lay wilted and unkempt against sallow skin. Her hands fisted on the rim of the sink, clenching the porcelain so hard her knuckles were white.

Umi turned away, unable to face the girl in the mirror any longer.

She dried her face and hair carefully, methodically. The old shirt was discarded and the new one slipped on. The glasses were returned to their accustomed perch on the bridge of her nose, and the world snapped back into focus. When she looked in the mirror again, only Umi looked back at her.

Just another job.



"—and then I said 'Are you alright?' but he just kept staring at me like I was an idiot," moaned Sakuno as she fiddled with end of one of her braids, her lunch untouched. Next to her, Tomoka winced sympathetically and stole one of Sakuno's sushi.

"Well, you were standing in the middle of their practice," her friend answered practically, popping the sushi into her mouth.

"Beffides, why boffer with details!" she gushed around her mouthful of rice and seaweed, her eyes starry. She clasped her hands together, her expression rapturous as she chewed and swallowed. "Ryoma-sama stared at you! Really stared, with those beautiful golden eyes set in that sinfully gorgeous face. Ahhh, Ryoma-sama…This sushi is really good, by the way."

Sakuno nodded, a little dazed.

"Oh, but wait." Tomoka paused, putting a pensive finger to her chin. "You're not supposed to be talking to Ryoma-sama at all, you're supposed to be getting over him, right?"

"Yes, that's what I told you, Tomo--chan," said Sakuno exasperatedly. Really, her friend had taken the news quite well. It had just taken a while to convince her. Especially as she hadn't exactly mentioned the part about the bento really. Or at all. But after the five hundredth time she said Yes, she really was over Ryoma, and No, she wasn't kidding, Tomo-chan had believed her anyway.

"E-Echizen-kun aside, the thing is…I didn't even know how I had got there!" Sakuno burst out, wringing her braid furiously.

"You didn't know how you got where?" queried her friend.

"There, on the boy's tennis courts! I couldn't remember how I got there." Sakuno explained, her brow furrowed. "One moment I was watching them practice, and the next there I was, right next to Ryo—Echizen-kun."

Tomoko began to nod sagely.

"I know what's going on," she said wisely.

"You-you do?" asked Sakuno hopefully.

"Yes. You, Ryuuzaki Sakuno…" she paused for dramatic effect, "are suffering from Ryoma-sama Withdrawal!" Sakuno stared at her friend, more than a little afraid for her sanity.

"Um, Tomo-ch—" she began, but Tomoka would brook no refusals.

"You had to see him, even though you had promised yourself that you would never lay eyes on him again! You just couldn't help yourself!" Tomoka roared, pointing her finger at Sakuno in righteous fury. While Tomoka took a moment to breathe, Sakuno cut in, trying to set her straight.

"Tomo-chan, I think it is a little more complica—" but Tomoka just brushed her off with a toss of her pigtails. Sakuno opened her mouth to try again, but her friend rushed on.

"I know you are in denial, it's only natural," said Tomoka magnanimously. "But don't worry Sakuno," she cried passionately, grabbing Sakuno's hands and holding them tightly in her own. "As your best friend it is my sworn duty to help you with your rehabilitation."

"Rehabilitation?!" sputtered Sakuno, starting to get a bit irritated. "Tomo-chan, it's not like I'm—a-addicted to him or anything!" Tomoka raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you?" she asked, suddenly serious. "Three years you've waited for him. Three _years_." The comment stung more than Sakuno wanted to admit. She opened her mouth angrily, but Tomoka beat her to it.

"I know. I'm the one in his fan club, right?" Sakuno closed her mouth. Tomoka watched her friend closely and continued to speak, her voice earnest. "But it's different for me Sakuno. I know how to protect myself. But you, you need to be more selfish and think of yourself first. If you don't, you'll just end up running in circles and feeling guilty."

Sakuno looked down.

Tomoka smiled. "Besides, then you can move on and finally get a boyfriend! Like that boy in our English class who's always staring at you. What was his name again? Tokumo? No. To…To…Tobishi! He's cute; you would look sooo good together." Her eyes sparkled dangerously. Sakuno drew back, red with embarrassment.

"But I barely know Tobishi-san!" she protested. Tomoka flapped her hand dismissively.

"That doesn't matter. In fact," she mused, "it's probably even better."

"Tomo-chan!" Sakuno admonished half-heartedly, giggling in spite of herself.

"It'll be easier to nab him before he knows your faults. Of course," she said, giving Sakuno a critical once-over, "you'll have to sex it up a bit."

"S-s-sex—?!"

"You know, flirt, wear some make up, show a little—"

"Tomo-chan!"



A scruffy monk lay, perfectly at ease, sprawled across the floor of the Echizen residence. His attire was definitely the worse for wear, worn at the knees and elbows, the cloth a dull, dirty brown with threads escaping the hemlines every which way.

This monk was also rather messy; currently he was inhaling udon noodles, and when he stopped to chew, invariably some stray noodles hung out of the corner of his mouth, limp and bedraggled. But what really would have sent any true worshiper into hysterics was the monk's face.

It was tanned and fairly young, but the chin was lazy and unshaven, covered in a constant 5 o'clock shadow. His mouth was lecherous, his brow arrogant, and his eyes were dark pools of merry sin.

A door slid, open and closed.

The unruly monk perked up, smirking in a manner most unholy.

"Oi, shonen," he called out to the person by the door. "How was school?"

"Fine." Ryoma replied curtly. He made a beeline for the stairs. The monk's grin widened.

"You running away already? Yesterday's game too much for you?" he needled provokingly.

"Homework," was the only reply. Ryoma escaped upstairs.

White walls, tidy shelves, a made bed, clear floor. If Echizen Ryoma liked one thing, it was order. Order was dependable, order was understandable. He slept, he ate, he played tennis. That was life how he liked it. The strange, unexplainable, and downright weird events of this morning had no place in his structured life, so they did not perturb him.

Not one bit.

He did his homework, he played and lost his tennis video game again (it wasn't his fault his player couldn't serve), he played one match with the baka oyaji, he ate dinner, he bathed, he played with Karupin, he got into bed.

In his bed, he stared out the window, trying to ignore the sinking feeling that his well-ordered life was about to get a lot messier.

But, being Echizen Ryoma, he then rolled over and promptly went to sleep.

--

**Huzzah for the end of another chapter! Thanks again for reading. :) Questions? Comments? You know what to do! ;) **

**Next time: In which there is an awful lot of gossip. **

Japanese Words

Sumimasen: Excuse me, sorry

Sempai: upperclassman

Sempai-tachi: upperclassmen

O'chibi: shorty, squirt

Ano: um, well

Demo: but

Gomen: sorry, my bad

Shonen: boy

Baka oyaji: stupid old man


	3. The Second Day

**I'm ba-ack! Thankee kindly for luverly reviews. :3 You guys all rock! Hopefully, I managed to reply to them all this time. Special author shout-out to anons and as well as sonia girl and deirdre (who made a very astute guess about this chapter) since I couldn't reply to you. **

Disclaimer: If I owned Prince of Tennis, Ryoma would occasionally get his butt kicked, Sakuno would rule the world, and I'd keep the ever-glompable Eiji all to myself. XD

_Second for the feared, most frightening to behold,_

_With fearsome exterior but heart of shining gold_

The Second Day

"Hey. Hey, you, first-year."

Ryoma turned, the tennis bag slung casually over his shoulder bumping into his side.

Five or so guys, two standing, a couple more slouching against nearby lockers. All of them wore red ties, signifying their positions as upperclassmen. He didn't know them, so none of them played tennis.

"We heard some stuff about you recently," said one of the slouchers loudly, the same brash voice that had first called out to him. Ryoma eyed him disinterestedly. The loud boy slumped at the edge of the group, near the back. All talk, no power--the typical bully who was much better at talking about his skills than displaying them. A weak opponent. Unimportant.

"Hn," said Ryoma. He turned to walk away.

"Oi! Don't turn your back on an upperclassman!" growled a low voice. A large hand grabbed him roughly by the arm, yanking him back around. Ryoma was by no means the shrimp he had been in middle school, but he had never shot up the way Horio and the others had. His short stature never really bothered him, however. It caused opponents to underestimate him. He also didn't have to worry about lugging around the extra pounds of limb, so he remained fleet and fast, even without the added muscle.

Completely ignoring the goon gripping his arm, Ryoma stared at the boy in the center, his head tilted arrogantly, totally at ease.

"Did you need something, sempai?" he drawled coolly. The boy standing to the leader's right laughed in spite of himself.

"Damn, he's gutsy," he said in reluctant admiration, with a grin that made Ryoma think of Momoshiro. The leader smiled brightly, without feeling.

"Indeed. So, Echizen-kun, I hear you've been busy lately." His tone was light, but his eyes were sharp. Searching for a weakness. "So, how was she?"

Ryoma blinked.

"How was who?" he asked blandly, carefully concealing his confusion. The leader laughed. Ryoma decided he didn't like the laugh very much.

"Ryuuzaki-chan of course," the leader said, without any reservation whatsoever, his smile unpleasant.

Ryoma was silent. The leader's eyebrows raised.

"That bad, was it? What a shame. I had thought to try her out myself, but if her performance was so lackluster I might as well not both--"

"You're annoying." Ryoma spoke abruptly, his voice slicing through the end of the leader's sentence, utterly cold.

"What did you say?" said the leader quietly, his voice going dangerously soft. Around him, the others stood up from their slouches to step forward. Their faces were grim, angry, and excited by turns, except for the one to the leader's right, who looked conflicted and a bit uneasy.

"Hey, come on," he said, addressing the leader but unable to look at him. "You know he didn't mean it." Ryoma's eyes flickered his way. The older boy returned his stare with one that was faintly pleading.

_C'mon, _it said. _You don't have to do this._ This was the time for him to back out, say he was sorry, he was just kidding. The time to cringe and turn and walk down the hallway as if he'd never heard what that..._person _said. Ryoma looked away, turning his gaze back to the leader.

His chin rose, his left hand moving to the zipper on his bag as a dueler might reach for his pistol.

"I said: You. Are. Annoying."



Nakamura Goro gazed forlornly at the spitballs on the ceiling of the boy's bathroom and sighed.

It was a good job, really, being a janitor.

Sure, it wasn't what he'd first envisioned when he had been young and hopeful. But then, he thought, with a dry, wheezing laugh, he had also been pretty stupid when he was young.

It wasn't all bad. He got all the free coffee he wanted from the teacher's lounge. He was also the only employee in the school who had absolutely no fear of being fired. He had the keys to every room in the building, which just so happened to include the basement where all the files were kept. Students _and_ teachers.

Principal Kitagawa hadn't made the connection until Goro had said, very politely, that he knew all about the Stapler Incident, at which point the principal had turned interestingly pale and sweaty and offered Goro a fifty percent raise. Smart man, that principal.

"Hey, come on. You know he didn't mean it." The boy's voice echoed anxiously from outside in the corridor.

Goro's slightly malevolent smile of recollection vanished and was replaced by a grimmace of irritation. Those damn punks. Not even eight in the morning, and they were already raring for a fight. He had just cleaned the floor! He was _not_ about to let them go spurting blood all over it.

Grimly, he stumped out the door, mop in hand.

--

"You should know better than to mouth off to your betters, Echizen-kun," said the leader, his smile gone. Behind him, the others fanned out, flanking Ryoma.

Ryoma met his gaze squarely.

"Betters?" He looked around. "Where?"

Sneering, the leader stepped forward. Ryoma braced.

"Hey! Hey, you, the one with the bag!"

The boys turned as an old man stomped towards them, slamming his mop into the ground with every step like a vengeful cleaning god.

Ryoma cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, you, you young idiot!" the old man growled, now close enough to jab Ryoma in the chest, which he did. Repeatedly. "You and I are going to have words about the spitballs I found in the bathroom."

By now the older boys were snickering. Ryoma stared blankly at the old man.

"Don't give me that look," he snarled. "It doesn't work. You know you did it, and I know you did it, and now you're going to clean it up! Now, get going!" He gestured angrily down the corridor. A little nonplussed, Ryoma did just that. the older boys jeered, sending taunts at his retreating back.

"Have fun, Echizen-chan!"

"Work hard!"

"No slacking, now!"

Goro turned his glare on them, mustache bristling fiercely. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Of course," the leader replied sweetly, his smile insolent. "Let's go, everyone." Still laughing, they slouched off.

--

Goro soon caught up with the boy.

"What's your name, kid?" The boy looked at him for a moment, his eyes expressionless, before facing front once more.

"Echizen Ryoma."

"So, Echizen Ryoma, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"They say something?"

"No." Goro rolled his eyes. Strong and silent it was, then.

"You don't talk much do you?"

"Hn."

Goro decided to switch tactics.

"I knew that you didn't make the spitballs." Ryoma stopped walking.

"Then why am I here?"

"I like my floors clean," Goro replied shortly. "Plus," he continued with a sly grin, "frail old men like me need help from time to time. Ah, here we are."

They entered the bathroom. Goro went to his bucket and pulled out the scraper, handing it to Ryoma with no small satisfaction. He had always hated this job anyway.

"Here's your scraper. There's your ladder. Get going."

--

Knock, knock.

"Come in, Sakuno."

Cautiously, Sakuno entered the office. She smiled warmly at the woman sorting papers at the desk.

"Konnichiwa, obaa-chan. How did you know it was me?" Ryuuzaki Sumire turned to face her grandchild. She was formidable in pink sweats and her long brown and silver ponytail swished impatiently. Sumire cracked a half-smile however and merely said, "I'm a wise old woman, that's how. Of course," she continued, glaring darkly at the papers in her hands, "if I were a little wiser, I'd be done with these blasted forms already."

Sakuno frowned, her eyes worried.

"Don't worry," Sumire said with a grin, her tone lightening. "I haven't forgotten that I'm giving you a ride home today. I guess I'll take the rest of the uncompleted forms with me and finish them at home," she said, eyeballing the papers with great distaste. "Now, I just need to go pick up the keys to the equipment room from Oishi. He will be missing practice tomorrow, and I don't have a spare key. Then we can go."

Sakuno did not miss the stiffness in her grandmother's stance, or how deeply the tired lines were etched around her dark eyes. Going anywhere within a hundred feet of Echizen-kun was about as high on her list as diving naked into a tank of piranhas, but Obaa-chan worked _so_ hard.

"Obaa-chan, don't trouble yourself about the keys. I can go get them," Sakuno piped up, pasting on a smile.

"Ah, thank you Sakuno," her grandmother replied with poorly concealed relief. "Remember, once you've got them, come right back. I don't want you getting lost."

"Hai," said Sakuno, making a face. It was a well known fact that her sense of direction was shaky, even at the best of times. She was, however, fairly confident she could make it to the tennis courts and back without getting turned around.

"Sayounara obaa-chan!" she chirped, and hurried out the door.



"Oishi-sempai?" He did not turn around.

Mou! She would just have to try again. Sakuno ran faster. She had to catch him before he entered the changing room!

Fortunately, or perhaps miraculously, she did not trip at all, and she caught his sleeve a few feet from the boys' changing room. Unfortunately, she was so winded from her mad dash she couldn't speak. Instead, she grimly held onto his sleeve and waited for her lungs to start functioning again.

It was perhaps fortunate that her head was down, and consequently unable to see Oishi's expression. The look of panic intermingled with slight terror that flashed across her sempai's face would not have been very reassuring.

"Oishi—sempai" panted Sakuno.

"Yes?" he said, in a wary voice that would have struck her as odd if she had not been concentrating on breathing. Unbeknownst to Sakuno, Oishi was in considerable emotional turmoil.

_She's not going to kiss __**me**__, is she? _

_No, of course not, she only has feelings for Echizen. But this is exactly how she was last time. Spontaneous, bold, breathless. Augh! And even if she isn't going to kiss me, her reputation and her future are still in jeopardy! The elopement will derail both her and Echizen's educations, and, even worse, their families may disown them! __Without good educations and familial support they won't be able to get jobs and without jobs they'll become homeless and their relationship will suffer and they'll drift apart and die young, lonely, and unloved! But what if the kiss was a random phenomenon caused by hormones or puberty or something? What if Ryuuzaki has just become a kissing fiend? WhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhat do I do?!_

While Oishi was having his emotional meltdown, Sakuno got some of her breath back.

"I need—the—the key—to—to the—to the equipment shed," she gasped out. "Obaa-chan wants it." Oishi's anxious face brightened.

"Oh. Is that all?" he asked, his voice weak with relief. "Of course." He reached into his jacket pockets. "Not there," he mumbled. He then checked his pants pockets. Then he took off the jacket and shook it.

Still no key.

"I'm sorry Ryuuzaki-san, I must have left it in my locker," he said with a sheepish smile. "I'll be right back." And with that he vanished into the darkness of the changing room.

Sakuno waited, absent-mindedly scuffing the concrete with her shoe. Soon she heard voices.

Curious, Sakuno followed the sounds around the side of the change room building. Looking up, she noticed one of the high windows was cracked.

"Where could they have gone?" asked Oishi-sempai's voice, sounding utterly mystified.

"Oishi, who cares about that now! Sakuno-chan is back to see her beloved O'chibi!"

That would be Kikumaru-sempai talking, but what was he saying? Her beloved O'chibi? The blood rushed to her cheeks. They knew! She must have been pathetically obvious if even the _sempais_ knew of her past infatuation.

"Yes, there is a 78.9 percent chance that the request for the key was merely a ruse invented so that she could see Echizen."

Inui-sempai, definitely. But how could he say such things? True, she would never have passed up a chance to see Ryo—Echizen-kun _play,_ but she didn't tail after him, and she certainly didn't tell lies just to see him. She had her pride.

"I don't know. I-It doesn't seem very like her." Thank you Kawamura-sempai! At least one of them had a better opinion of her.

"Tuesday morning wasn't like her either," added a deep voice. Sakuno nearly fell over. Kaido-sempai? She had never heard him speak so much off a tennis court. And "Tuesday morning?" What happened Tuesday morning?

"Saa. Love makes people do strange things, ne Echizen?" A lighter voice, as casual as if it were asking about the weather. Sakuno covered her burning cheeks with her hands. That had to be Fuji-sempai, and she would bet her braids he was smiling.

This would be good time to trip over something noisily, to cough, to plug her ears and sing loudly.

Instead, she leaned closer to the wall as quietly as she could.

"Found it!" yelled Oishi triumphantly. Sakuno nearly had a heart attack.

Breathing fast, she scrambled back to where she had been standing earlier and tried to look as calm and guilt-free as possible. She heard faint footsteps growing louder as Oishi-sempai approached the door.

A cell phone rang. The footsteps stopped.

"Ah, it's mine. Kaido, would you take the keys out to Ryuuzaki-san?" spoke Oishi.



Kaido took the keys from Oishi-sempai. He didn't especially want to, but Oishi was his sempai and you had to respect your sempais. Kaido was a very respectful person, so he accepted the keys without complaint, and walked back out into the cool afternoon.

As he walked to Ryuuzaki-san, a breeze picked up, ruffling through his hair. It was cold and Kaido shivered slightly, wishing he were still wearing his bandana.

"Here," he said gruffly, thrusting the keys at her. It wasn't that he disliked Ryuuzaki-san, quite the contrary really. He had always liked animals, and Ryuuzaki-san reminded him of nothing so much as a bunny or a hamster: something small, furry, and easily startled.

She didn't look very startled now, however. In fact, she looked completely at ease, a small, dreamy smile on her face.

Kaido wondered if she were feeling sick. His face close up did not often elicit dreamy smiles from the opposite sex. Usually it made them run away, or grin nervously until they had found a policeman to sic on him. He had frequently been arrested as this or that wanted criminal, all because of his evil face.

She still hadn't taken the key. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes, although they were glued to his visage, were unfocused. Maybe she had a fever?

"Ryuuzaki-san," he said as gently as he could, trying not to scare her, "are you alright?"

Her smile widened.

"Yes," she whispered softly, placing her hands on his forearms. Then she gave a sharp tug, pulling him down to her. Kaido flushed bright red and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Uh, R-Ryuuzaki-san—" he stuttered, but she cut him off.

"Hush, Kaido-sempai," she murmured, her eyes sliding shut.

Crowding the changing room doorway, the regulars gasped.



Kaido was pretty sure this could not be happening.

It stood to reason. In real life random girls most certainly did not wander out of the blue and kiss him. Especially young, timid girls who supposedly had crushes on his teammate.

They did not whisper huskily to him, they did not cling to him, pulling him closer and closer, and they did NOT kiss him so furiously that he, the master of endurance, felt like passing out. He knew this with all the certainty he possessed.

On the other hand, he was also fairly certain that even though this wasn't actually happening, Echizen would find out somehow and make him pay. But even as his arms tensed to push her away, she was already pulling back.

She stepped back, her eyes fluttering open. As he stared at her, Kaido was relieved to see that the dreamy look was gone. With dismay he saw that in its place however came surprise, confusion, horror, and finally, mortification.

"_K-K-Kaido-sempai_?" she squeaked.

He winced at the terror with which she spoke his name. How different it was from the loving way she had said it earlier!

"I-I don't know what came over me." she said, her face pale.

"I—" She broke off and for a moment her face was completely blank. Then she shook her head, and looked around.

"Oh, Kaido-sempai!" she said, with no trace of her earlier distress, "Excuse me, but could you tell me where Oishi-sempai is? Obaa-chan wants the keys for the equipment shed."

Wordlessly, he held out the keys. She was surprised, but only momentarily.

"Ah, Oishi-sempai already gave them to you, just in case." she said, nodding. "Thank you Kaido-sempai." She smiled gratefully at him and then dashed off back towards the school. Stunned, Kaido watched her go.

He felt a sudden chill. With a deep sense of foreboding he turned around. There were the rest of the regulars, silently staring at him.

Some of their stares weren't very friendly.

Involuntarily, Kaido's eyes were drawn to the smallest regular. Ryoma stared coolly back, but his left hand held his racket in a tightly clenched fist.

And that's when Kaido Kaoru knew he was in big trouble.



As usual, Eiji was the first to break the silence.

"Kaido, how could you!" he wailed. "You knew Sakuno-chan belonged to O'chibi!" Kaido looked down at the ground with an embarrassed "Fsssh."

"What kind of person are you, Mamushi?" said Momoshiro in disgust. "No man steals away another man's girl!" Kaido's head snapped back up, his eyes blazing. It was one thing for a sempai to say it, it was quite another to be scolded by that spiky-haired bastard!

"Shut up, porcupine-head!" he snarled, grabbing Momo's collar.

"Make me, you womanizer!" bellowed Momoshiro, and he in turn grabbed Kaido's shirtfront.

Before the situation could get any more out of hand Oishi stepped in.

"Knock if off you two!" he said, pushing them apart. "Momo," he said, calm and serious "Do not injure your teammate. Give Kaido a chance to explain himself. Kaido," he continued, looking at the other hot-blooded man. His tough façade crumbled and he cried out anxiously, "Why on earth would you do something like that? Please don't tell me you have also been secretly in love with her?"

"What?" sputtered Kaido. "No! _She_ kissed _me_." He looked down off to the side, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"Ah, I see. So you were the damsel in distress, ne?" said Fuji amiably. "And Sakuno-chan was your handsome prince."

"Iie, chigaimasu." said a voice flatly. All the regulars turned to look at the youngest member, who was calmly tying his shoe.

"Hmm? I'm wrong?" said Fiji, his voice as smooth as silk. "Or is it that _you_wanted to be Sakuno-chan's damsel?"

"Che," said Ryoma, turning away, his hat bill low. "Who would?"

"Echizen does have a point." said a voice from behind them. "There was something wrong both times." They turned to Inui as he continued. "Ryuuzaki-san did show bizarre symptoms before and after each occurrence. The strange boldness prior to the event and the odd way she apologized afterwards, it was almost as if she did it against her will."

"But who would force Ryuuzaki-san to kiss Kaido?" Oishi mused. "Echizen's being kissed, I could understand; she's admired him for over two years, but why Kaido? No offense meant." he finished worriedly, turning to Kaido. Kaido nodded.

"Hoi, hoi I've got it!" said Eiji excitedly, "Someone with a grudge against the tennis team is using her to try and throw off our teamwork!" Momoshiro scratched his head.

"Hah? That seems a little farfetched. How would this person make Ryuuzaki do, you know, that?"

"Ah—!Hmm…eto…" said Eiji, deflating.

"Blackmail," said Inui with a dark certainty. "This person threatened to expose some dark secret of Ryuuzaki-san's past if she did not comply with his demands. She faces humiliation in order to save her honor."

"Oh, poor Sakuno-chan!" wailed Eiji. "That kawaii girl being manipulated by an evil tennis-hater!"

"I-Is there anything we can do to help her?" said Kawamura timidly.

"Not much at present. This situation requires further study. I will try to gather more data on the identity of the blackmailer," said Inui.

"In the meantime, we must protect Sakuno-chan's reputation," said Fuji calmly.

"But how can we?" asked the ever-practical Oishi. "None of us have any classes with her. Who knows when **it **will happen again?" Ryoma started sidling away, tennis bag in hand. That girl had already gotten him into enough trouble today. He was still sore from scraping those stupid spitballs.

Momoshiro grinned wickedly.

"_One_ of us does have classes with her actually." He raised his voice. "Isn't that right, _E-chi-zen_?"

Urk. Ryoma stopped sidling.

"Trying to slide out of helping a girl in need, huh? That's not very gentlemanly, Echizen," continued Momoshiro, twisting the knife. Ryoma glared at him.

"What do you know about being a gentleman, Momo-sempai? The first time a girl invited you on a date, you spent the whole time ignoring her and arguing with another guy," he finished, smirking. Momoshiro's hands balled into fists.

"That—that wasn't even a date!" he burst out.

"No," Ryoma agreed. "More like a social disaster."

"Teme—!" and Momoshiro grabbed Ryoma's shirt collar. Ryoma simply looked back at him, a provoking smirk on his face.

"Mada mada dane, Momo-sempai."

"Echizen." Tezuka's voice, calm and detatched. "Taunting Momoshiro will not help you to avoid your role in this. Momoshiro," he continued, turning his implacable stare to the eighth-grader, "Release him." With one last glare, Momo released his hold on Ryoma's shirt.

After a short nod from the captain, Inui spoke.

"Echizen, because you have the largest number of classes with Ryuuzaki-san, it makes sense for you to keep an eye on her. The rest of us will check in on her from time to time, but her well-being is primarily your responsibility."

He paused to push the bridge of his glasses up.

"Your duties include watching her for other strange symptoms, making sure she comes to no physical harm, and, if need be, intervening when her reputation is in danger."

Inui's glasses gleamed, and his smile was all teeth.

"If you refuse or if we find that you have been _lax_ in any of these respects you will be my juice-testing guinea pig for the entire year. Agreed?"

Ryoma shuddered.

Technically he could say no. He _had _drunk Inui-juice before and survived.

Barely.

"I don't really have a choice," he muttered, a little green. "Can we practice now?" He soon regretted his mutter when the captain's glasses locked onto him.

"The rest of us will begin practice," announced Tezuka sternly, "You, Echizen, and you, Momoshiro, will do fifty laps."

"Fifty!" groaned Momo. Tezuka's frown deepened.

"Each." Ryoma sent Momo a dirty look before jogging towards the outside of the courts.

"Thanks a lot, Momo-sempai."

"Why you—!" and Momo took off after him. "Yeah, you'd better run, you brat!" he yelled. " 'Cause when I catch up with you, you're gonna wish you'd never been born!"

A very audible snort.

"_If _you can catch up with me, sempai."

"Graaauugh!"

Watching them, Eiji laughed.

"Yosh! Now it starts!" he proclaimed, punching a fist into the air. "Operation: Save Our Sakuno-chan!"



An exhausted Sakuno slumped over her bedroom desk with a moan. Who knew high school first-years would have so much homework? It was already—she looked at her alarm clock—ten fifteen, and she wasn't even finished yet! She was only halfway through her math, and she still had an English assignment to go. She dug through the papers scattered across her desk. Ah, there it was.

"How to Conjugate Irregular Verbs in the Preterite Tense," complete with intimidating blank spaces for answers, and little educational cartoons of people performing the actions of the verbs that were supposed to be useful, but in reality weren't helpful at all.

She glared at it balefully, and, like every time she did her English homework, felt an irrational surge of hatred towards the boy who slept through the class every day one row to her left and three chairs forward.

Stupid Ryo-_Echizen_-kun.

And the worst of it was he still managed to pass the tests with flying colors without any apparent effort! She knew it was petty but she had often suspected she would like Echizen Ryoma more if she could find something he really sucked at.

Although, liking him more wasn't really the problem.

She knew it wasn't very fair of her. He couldn't _help_ that he was a phenomenal tennis player, did better than her in class, was unreasonably good-looking and brave, and confident, and...Ugh!

Well, she was a better cook, so there!

Sakuno hit her head on the desk. This line of thought was _not_ helping her finish her work. It also wasn't very conducive to her goal of forgetting about him.

_Don't think about him. Don't think about him._

Now then, she had some math homework to do. And she was going to do it right away. Uh huh. Right now. Yes.

Sakuno stared dumbly down at paper.

Okay, so _that_ wasn't going to happen.

What had been going on today anyway? It had seemed like everywhere she went, people were whispering. She'd been on the receiving end of some very strange looks too. Three boys whom she didn't even know had smiled at her; one had even winked. Ten times as many girls had glared. Then, after lunch she had gone to her locker only to find a huge tube lip gloss taped to the front!

It was funny. When she was younger, the thing she'd wanted most in the world was to be noticed. She used to dream of moments like this, a special day when people would actually _see _shy little Ryuuzaki Sakuno.

How foolish she had been.

She sighed, rubbing her temple where she she could feel a headache coming on.

Well, it was clear she wasn't going to be able to work tonight. Wearily, she flicked off the lights and crawled into bed.

Maybe she was just paranoid, or today had been a fluke. Tomorrow things would go back to normal, and she would fade safely into the background once more. Pulling one long braid over he shoulder, she nestled into the blankets and prayed for invisibility.

--

**Oh, Sakuno, if only that were true. :)**

**Well, that's the end of another chapter. Thanks for reading! I feel particularly proud of this one. I wrote this a long time ago, and I wasn't planning to make any major changes, but then I read everybody's wonderful reviews and felt that you all deserved more. The result is the chapter you see (or saw) before you.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, or if you just have something you'd like to say, please review. Constructive criticism is welcome! **

**Next up: In which both the tennis team and the fan girls (eep!) swing into action!**

Japanese Words

Konnichiwa: Good afternoon

Hai: Yes

Mou!: Drat! or Darn!

Saa: Who knows?

Ne: Right?

Mamushi: Viper (Kaido's nickname)

Iie: No

Chigaimasu: Wrong

Eto: Uh, um

Kawaii: Cute

Teme: Bastard

Mada mada dane: You've got a ways to go (I'm assuming most of you know this, but I thought I'd put it here just in case.)

Yosh: All right!

**Quick Side Note: I won't be repeating definitions for words I have already explained in previous chapters. If, however, I miss one, feel free to let me know. The less confusion the better! **


	4. The Third Day

**A/N: Don't you just hate it when the author doesn't update for over two months without explanation or warning? ^_^**;** I know; it's awful. I feel terrible. All I can say is that college life caught up to me with a vengeance. I swear there will not be nearly as long a wait for the next update. **

**I'm **_**really**_** sorry for the long delay, but here is the third day**_**, **_**heavily revised. Thanks to everyone who reviewed; you guys were my guiding light in my plot-bunnyless darkness. (Hopefully, you are still out there…) This chapter so thoroughly kicked my butt I can only pray it'll live up to your guys' standards. **

Disclaimer: You're gonna make me say it again, aren't you. Prince of Tennis is not, and never will be mine.

_Third for the one overlooked most often,_

_An annoyance, a pest, frequently forgotten._

The Third Day

"_Chhk!_ The bunny is leaving the den. _Chhk!_"

Ryoma rolled his eyes.

"I know that Momo-sempai. I'm crouching right next to you."

The bushes a foot to his right quivered. "Shut up! You'll give away our position to the target!" they hissed.

"Shut up yourself," Ryoma replied coolly. "You're the one shouting like an idiot. If Ryuuzaki didn't know you were stalking her before, she certainly does now."

The bushes shook violently.

"Stalking!" they exclaimed in an indignant whisper. "I am not stalking her! _We_ are surveying and monitoring her for her own protection! And don't call her 'Ryuuzaki.' It's 'the bunny,' got it?"

Ryoma raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Hai," he said, in the tone of voice which Momo knew roughly translated to "This is stupid, but arguing about it would be a waste of time."

Momo bristled. Who did the little brat think he was anyway? There was nothing for it. It was time for another lecture. Life Lesson # 134: Real-Men-do-NOT-Disregard-the-Safety-of-Cute-Girls-in-Need.

"Listen you—" he began.

"Your target is walking away," Echizen interrupted, his voice bland. Sure enough, "the bunny" was nearly two blocks away now, calmly walking to school, happily oblivious to the stares of her self-appointed body guards.

"Kuso!" Momo growled. He'd been careless. He cast a disgruntled glance sideways to where Echizen sat, cool as a cucumber. _That punk! _He hadn't escaped the lecture, that was for damn sure! But now was not the time. Momo took a deep calming breath.

"Time to follow the target, Echizen." Waiting until Momo was sure nobody was watching, they stood up, brushed the leaves off their school uniforms, and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Before Ryoma had taken a step however, Momo grabbed him by the shoulders, staring at him with utmost seriousness.

"Remember," he said, face grim, "follow subtly." On tiptoe, quietly as a mouse, he took a step.

And promptly stubbed his toe.

"AAAAUUGH! #$%&^!" he yelled, hopping on one foot as he clutched the other.

Ryoma smirked. "Congratulations, Momo-sempai. Very subtle."

"Shut up, Echizen," Momo moaned, still holding his poor, injured toe. Ryoma kept smirking. Nearly two blocks ahead, Ryuuzaki Sakuno stopped walking.

Momo's eyes widened. He grabbed Ryoma unceremoniously by the collar.

Ryoma pointedly looked down at the offending hand, then back up to Momo's face, his gaze insolent.

"Where's the fire, Momo-sempai?"

Not bothering to answer, Momoshiro promptly dragged him back into the bushes, his other hand clamped tightly over Ryoma's mouth.



Sakuno looked around, head tilted to the side. She could have sworn she had heard someone…



Ryoma frowned. Stupid Momo-sempai still hadn't let go, large hand still tamped tightly over the lower half of Ryoma's face in order to—Ryoma rolled his eyes derisively—keep _him_ from talking.

Well, he didn't have to take it.

"Oi, Momo-fempai." He nudged Momo none-too-gently in the ribs. "Your hand if on my fafe."

"Shut up!" hissed Momo, distractedly peering through the leaves, pressing his hand even tighter over the younger boy's nose and mouth.

Ryoma scowled. He struggled under Momo's restricting hand, but to no avail.

"Your hand if on my FAFE, Momo-fempai."

"Jeez, Echizen, keep it down! I'm trying to see if she's gone!" Momo whispered frantically.

With a detached aggravation, Ryoma noticed that the lack of oxygen was getting to him. Slowly, he began to turn blue.



Two blocks ahead, Sakuno turned back around, shaking her head. Great, that was all she needed. It had only been one day, and already the stress was making her hear voices.

_Come on Sakuno, get a grip!_

Determinedly, she started forward once more, eyes focused straight ahead.



From their hiding place, Momo sighed in relief, his grip loosening.

"Whew. She's gone."

Ryoma had had enough. Roughly, he pulled Momo's hand off his mouth, gulping in sweet, sweet air. Momo turned to him in surprise. Ryoma gave him a black look. Momo raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"What're you so pissed about?"

Heavy silence. Momo's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Why are you breathing so hard, Echizen?" Ryoma didn't deign to answer, letting his flattening glare speak for him.

Momo considered being annoyed. Here he was, kindly showing concern for his underclassman, and how was he repaid? With scorn and stubborn silence! Granted, it was usually the way he was repaid, but still. There were _standards_. He had nobly kept his kohai from revealing their position to the target, at great risk. So why was the little brat so ungracious? It's not like he had been expecting praise, or even thanks, but here was the kid, acting as though Momo had just shoved Amane Hikaru's extra-long racket up his butt!

Wait…

He had…kept Echizen…from the target.

Aha!

"Echizen, Echizen, Echizen," he said, with a conspiratorial grin, slinging an arm over his shoulders. "Echizen, Echizen, E—chi—zen."

Ryoma wished Momo would stop saying his name now. He also wasn't loving the arm on his shoulders. He sent his overly helpful sempai another glare, but Momo was seemingly immune and just grinned more, launching into "Smug Lecture Mode".

"There come a time in a man's life, when—" Ryoma blanched. Oh no. It was one of _those_ talks.

He had never moved so fast. In an instant he had tugged free from his sempai's stranglehold and was walking briskly down the pavement at least half a block away.

"Oi! Echizen! Get back here!"

Make that _very_ briskly.



"Ryuuzaki Sakuno?"

"Yes?"

"We are the officers of the Echizen Ryoma Fan Club. We would like to have a chat."

"In…the bathroom?"

"Yes. Two of our members are standing guard outside this door. This…_interview_ will be completely private."

"Oh, um, g-good I suppose."

"Now, some of our members feel that they would like to see you _hanging by your ankles in the bottom of a well_, but we feel that it would be much easier if you just told us what was going on."

"Yeah, and tell us the truth you little—."

"_Patience, _Motoko."

"But President Kajiwara, she—!"

"**No**. Now, as I was saying, we understand that rumors may be false or exaggerated. We would like to hear in your own words what happened Tuesday morning. Umi, are you writing this down?"

"Yes. Every word."

"Tuesday…morning?"

"Oh please, Ryuuzaki-san, don't play dumb. It's very tiring and a waste of our time. Very well then, I'll ask you straight out. Did you kiss Echizen Ryoma?"

"_Ehhh?!_ **K**-**kiss** him?! No! I w-would never p-presume—"

"So you deny it, Ryuuzaki-san? How interesting. Umi, please make sure to include the stutter."

"Hai."

"So, Ryuuzaki-san, if you didn't kiss him, what did you do? What were you doing at the tennis courts?"

"I-I was watching the team practice."

"Ah, of _course_, you were watching them practice. Just like you always have."

"Y-yes."

"Tell me, Ryuuzaki-san, do you always watch practice from _inside_ the fence?"

"…I-I-"

"Yes? 'You-you-' _what_?"

"I dropped my, um, my…hairpin! Yes, my hairpin, and it—it fell on the other side of the fence. I couldn't reach it from where I was, so I went inside to retrieve it."

"_Did_ you now?"

"Y-Yes."

"…Alright then!"

"What? She's obviously lying, President!"

"Now, now, Motoko. If Ryuuzaki-san says she dropped her hairpin, I believe her. After all, her hair is so fine and smooth they must be sliding out all the time."

"President, plea—"

"That's _**enough, **_Motoko. We have already wasted much of Ryuuzaki-san's valuable time. Umi, you may stop writing now. Everyone, back to your classes. Oh, and Ryuuzaki-san? Wait a moment, please."

"Yes?"

"Please take care that your hairpins stay where they are supposed to. If too many drop in unexplainable places you might just lose some of your pretty hair."



Rows upon rows of undisturbed books lay docile on the old shelves, accumulating dust. Pale afternoon sunlight filtered through the old library windows, illuminating the three figures standing between the bookshelves, quiet and—

"—and after lunch, we had to run the track for two—no, **six** hours!"

Well, _mostly_ quiet.

"Then it was push-ups, and sit-ups, and ball drills until midnight. Then we—hey. Hey! Are you listening?"

Katsuo started, torn abruptly from his musings to face a familiar pair of eyes glaring out at him accusingly from underneath a unibrow.

"What? Oh! Ah,_ yes_, Horio-kun."

Next to him, Kachiro rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, we were just at the bit where you were wrestling an alligator to the ground using only your racket strings and five years of tennis experi—Ouch!"

Horio eyed the pair suspiciously. Katsuo smiled innocently, simultaneously removing his elbow from Kachiro's ribs.

"We're listening, Horio-kun," he said kindly. "_Aren't we_,_Kachiro?_" he continued, with a stern look sideways at his friend.

Kachiro shot him a dirty look. Katsuo blinked innocently back at him. Kachiro sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"Yeah. I guess we are."

"Good," said Horio, a trifle pompously. "Now, as I was saying…" and again, he was off, rambling here and there about his fabulous tennis exploits, pausing every once in a while for a reaction.

Katsuo smiled. Kachiro nodded.

Katsuo nodded. Kachiro smiled, or tried to at least.

Katsuo smiled again. Just before it was his turn to nod, Kachiro caught a glimpse of long braids out of the corner of his eye. He grinned.

"Hey look! It's Ryuuzaki-san!" he said eagerly, seizing on this new distraction with near frightening enthusiasm. Horio, who had been scowling at the interruption, rapidly turned quite pale. His mouth snapped shut.

Sakuno did not turn to acknowledge them, continuing to stare pensively at the ground. Well, if at first you don't succeed…

"Oiiii, Ryuuzaki-sa-oomph!"

"Kachiro!" his friend admonished, his voice a loud whisper as he once again elbowed his friend, "This is a library. You can't just go yelling at people."

Kachiro rubbed his side, with another half-hearted glare.

"You know, one of these days you're going to miss," he muttered. "And what do you do to your elbows anyway, sharpen them? Besides, do you _really _want to listen to any more of that?" he said darkly, with a quick, meaningful glance Horio-ward. Katsuo grimaced.

"Fine. Just try not to be so loud." Kachiro gave him an irritated look.

"Ryuuzaaaaakiiiii-saaaaan," he called again, in as loud a whisper as he could manage.

This time, she noticed. More accurately, at the sound of her name, she twitched. She turned, smiling uneasily as her eyes alighted on the trio in the stacks. All too glad of a chance to escape the possibility of another lecture or errant elbow, Kachiro trotted briskly towards her. The other two followed in his wake.

"Ryuuzaki-san, hey!" he said cheerfully when they had reached her. At his side, Katsuo smiled calmly.

"Hello, Ryuuzaki-san."

Sakuno bowed politely, murmuring a quiet greeting in reply, but her eyes were distant, her entire manner much more subdued than usual. Watching her, Horio flushed, his skin an unflattering blotchy purple.

"Murblexhh."

Kachiro glanced over at Katsuo, one eyebrow raised. Katsuo nodded minutely. Kachiro grinned.

Momentarily startled from her stupor, Sakuno tilted her head to the side, eyes wide and curious.

"I'm s-sorry, Horio-kun, I didn't quite catch that."

Horio gulped manfully.

"I said, good afternoon, Ryuuzaki-san," his voice only containing the smallest slivers of pretension. Sakuno smiled weakly.

"Ah, y-yes, it is," she said faintly, trying to sound convincing and failing utterly. Katsuo frowned.

"Ryuuzaki-san, are you alright?"

"H-Huh? Oh!" She smiled again, her cheeks pink with embarrassment, waving her hands placatingly. "Who, me? Well, uh, n—I mean, yes. Yes, I'm fine, r-really," she stuttered, speaking just a little too quickly. Katsuo and Kachiro exchanged a glance, unconvinced. Loudly, Horio cleared his throat. Kachiro and Katsuo braced. _Dear god, he isn't--_

"Well, you know, Ryuuzaki-san," he said, his tone patronizing, "if you ever need help with class work or, of course, tennis, or anything else you can always come to me."

Kachiro stared at Horio in disbelief. Katsuo winced.

Sakuno smiled, a little wryly. "…Thank you, Horio-kun."

Horio flushed again, looking away.

"I mean it," he said gruffly, his normally nasal voice quiet. "Anything."

The other boys gazed at him in shock. _This _was Horio? Sakuno smile widened, if a tad nervously.

"That's very—eep!"

Kachiro cocked his head. _That's very eep? _The other two boys were similarly nonplussed as they watched the color drain from Sakuno's cheeks. She stared as though transfixed, her gaze caught by something in the passage behind them, eyes wide in alarm. Kachiro turned, following her stare. He looked back at the girl--her frightened eyes, her high shoulders, hunching over as if to make her look smaller. Then back down the aisle. What was she so afraid of? All he could see was—



"Echizen!" Horio's loud voice rang out abrasively, echoing slightly.

_No, no, no, no, no!_

Sakuno's mouth was very dry, her knees shaking slightly as she watched an all-too-familiar figure look up.

For a jarring moment, startled brown eyes met cool hazel. Sakuno forgot to breath. She couldn't move, couldn't think. All she could do was stare.

_He's here! Echizen-kun is here!_

Her heart almost stopped when, slowly, the figure turned, and, in calm, measured steps, began to walk down the aisle towards them.

As he glanced between the two, Katsuo's features furrowed in a concerned frown.

"Ryuuzaki, is something wrong? Are you alright?"

Ryoma was less than ten feet away now. Sakuno gulped, her mind racing.

_No, I am Not Alright! I just had a run-in with some of the most terrifying girls in history, and if they find out that I have so much as __**looked **__at Echizen-kun, they will eviscerate me, and feed my remains to the wolves! And they'll cut off my __**hair**__! _

"I-I have to go," she whispered, her hand tightening its grip on the handle of her schoolbag. Ignoring their startled protests, she turned on her heel and fled.



Horio started. "Ryuuzaki, wai—!"

"Yo."

The boys turned back to look at the newcomer. Confused, and a bit put out, Horio rounded on the tennis prodigy.

"Oi, Echizen! What's going on with you two?" he squawked irritably. "She practically ran away."

Ryoma met Horio's indignant glare with his own flat stare. "It's not my business what Ryuuzaki does."

Was it just Kachiro, or did he sound even colder than usual?



Panting, Sakuno darted through the stacks, glancing this way and that, constantly checking for teachers or signs of pursuit.

_Am I far enough away? I don't see anyone. Why did I do that? The smart thing would have been to just act normal until I had thought of a reasonable excuse to leave. Now they probably think I'm weird, or an idiot, or—_

**Stop.**

_What? Why? I need to get away, as far from them as possible._

**No.**

_No? What do you mean, "No?" What is this anyway? Am I hearing things again? Have I finally gone crazy? Obaa-chan, I'm sorry! Your only granddaughter has lost her mind, and can't seem to find it--_

**Go back.**

_No way. __I'm not listening. I can't hear anything. There is no one in my head besides me, there is—Huh? Why am I turning around?! No! Wait! What's going o—!" _

**Sleep. **



Horio coughed. "So, as I was saying—"

Kachiro stifled a yawn. Katsuo sighed, and prepared to put on his "Attentive Listener" face once more.

Ryoma blinked.

"Ryuuzaki."

She stalked towards him, her eyes full of strangeness. Unconsciously, Ryoma took half a step back, bracing as she walked right…past…him?

Ryoma watched, dumbfounded, as, without any further ado, she grabbed Horio's face with her hands and kissed him soundly.

"…"

Horio wasn't struggling all that much. He was still stiff as a board, his entire body rigid, but he hadn't pushed her away. Ryuuzaki moved her hands to cup his jaw, and the boy's previously wide eyes began to close…

Ryoma stepped forward. But Ryuuzaki was already pulling back, stepping away without a word. Something about her expression was not quite right…

"Hey!" The five students turned. At the other end of the aisle stood an old man with a bucket, an old mop, and a crotchety expression. Nakamura Goro continued to glower, his eyes narrowing at the hat-wearing member of the group. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

Behind him, Ryoma heard a quiet gasp, and Ryuuzaki brushed past him. Head down, she hurried past the janitor and out of sight.



During a respite in after school practice Ryoma scowled, bouncing a ball on his racket.

Pok. Pok. Pok.

It was confusing.

Pok, pok, pok.

It was all confusing and messy, and he didn't like it one bit.

PokPokPok.

It was all confusing and messy, and he didn't like it, and he _needed_ to play tennis.

_PokPokPokPokPok!_

Ryoma caught the ball.

"Kaido-sempai," he said, his voice flat, speaking to the bandana-wearing player behind him who was currently tying his shoe.

"Play a match with me," he said, still not turning around. Kaido's fingers fumbled.

"Hai," he answered, the slightest tremor in his deep voice.

Ryoma turned back slightly, his cap hiding his eyes. Kaido saw the smirk on his kohai's face and shuddered. Ryoma's smile widened, fierce and hungry.

This would be fun.

--

**A/N: Hey all! Thanks for reading. Let me know what you liked, didn't like, and why. I'm not as happy with this chapter as I have been with previous ones; any concrit is welcome. Here are the replies to your reviews. Sorry it took me so long. **

**Next time: A dream, a scheme, and Ryoma's feeling green! (I know it doesn't quite scan, just go with it.) Ye gods, the next chapter actually has some tennis in it. **

**faeriespark: **Thanks! Yes, poor Inui and Sakuno. I feel bad for torturing them...but then, it's so much fun! XD

**songstress08: **HaHa! Victim is a good word for it! Well, I pretty much failed you on the "soon," but I've got the "update" part at least.

**hye kyo: **Yay! I'm so happy you liked it! As for the second part...*scuffs ground with toe*...well, the next chapter will be out _much_ faster.

**mysweetkat: **Ah, yes, poor dear Kaidoh. Yet another character I seem to torture. I hadn't noticed until I reread your review, but I do mean stuff to Kaidoh in this chapter too--making him play a disgruntled Ryoma only the day after he was ravished by Sakuno! XD Hang in there, Kaidoh!

**Fire-Chan9490: **Go you for guessing right! For such a smart guy, Inui is being awfully dense, isn't he? My in-world explanation for this is that he has also been preoccupied with schoolwork, and so has been too busy to go to his lab. No worries about lateness; as of now, of the two of us, you definitely have the moral high ground!

**Devatron2000: **Thanks!

**mouster: **Have I ever mentioned how much I love your reviews? :D They are pure awsomeness. I'm glad that somewhere out there Goro has a fan! I like him too; he's my kind of evil, and it's nice having someone around to put Ryoma in his place. ;) I must confess, when I first read your 'dirt' joke, I snickered. I, too, have a secret weakness for lame puns. Well, not so secret anymore, I guess. Oops.

**YuKiOnA-Ga: **Thank you so much! And don't worry--even though it may take me a while, I will definitely finish this story.

**lani: **Sweet! That was what I was going for. Thank you. :)

**andrea sonozaki: **Man, you and me both. Thanks for the encouragement!

**Mitchy: **Okay, you are on my official uber-cool people list. Two reviews for one chapter? Five million cookies and the Seigaku regular man-slave of your choice! I'm glad you like the fan club; they may be ever-so-slightly demonic, but they are darn funny. Er. As long as you don't touch, speak to, or breath on Ryoma. :3

**Elvira-RM: **Thanks for sticking with it. And look! I finally posted!

**amethyst: **Huzzah for continuation! Here 'tis.

Japanese Words

Kuso!: swearword, about the equivalent of "Damn!" (Naughty Momo!)

Kohai: underclassman


	5. The Fourth Day

**A/N:**Apparently, the author is incapable of simple math. Ah well, what's a few extra months between friends, right? Eheh. *hangs head like the lying liar she is* Shame, shaaaaame. Well, at least the chapter is extra fat to make up for it...?

Again, a great big THANKS for your fabulous reviews! From the concrit to the analysis to the one-liners, I love (and read) them all. ^_____^

**Disclaimer:**Prince of Tennis belongeth to the right honorable Konomi Takeshi, not I. (Curses!)

_Fourth for the friend of true and steady trust,_

_An unexpected ally who will do as needs must._

The Fourth Day

_Swoosh! _

Argh! She had missed the ball _again_! Sakuno gritted her teeth angrily and took another tennis ball out of her pocket. She glared at it, concentrating even harder, as she prepared to swing her racket once more. This time she would hit it! She was not going to be beaten by a furry yellow ball! She swung with all her might—

And missed.

"Ryuuzaki."

Sakuno cringed. Now she was in trouble. She thought she had been improving, but here she was making mistakes she hadn't made in years. And she was wasting Ryoma-kun's time as well. Unhappily, she waited for his critique. He did not disappoint.

"Your knees should bend more. Relax your shoulders and follow your swing through from the waist. You're way too stiff," he pointed out as he sat on the wall cross legged, a bored expression on his face. With every sentence Sakuno reddened, and she could feel herself shrinking. He sounded really annoyed.

"Okay," she mumbled miserably. "Anything else?"

"Yes," he said, and the corner of his mouth turned up. "Next time try to _hit _the ball." Sakuno looked up sharply. He was teasing her!

"I _will _hit it," she huffed, a bit miffed but relieved that he was just making fun. The relief rushed through her body, filling her with reckless confidence. _Right at your smug face, _she added mentally. _How about you feel uncomfortable for a change, Ryoma-kun! _With a determination she never knew she possessed she tossed the little ball into the air, bent her knees, and—

_**POK!**_

The ball screamed through the air, missing Ryoma's face by inches, blowing his beloved Fila cap off his head. He stared at her wide-eyed. Sakuno merely smiled. For a moment, the only sound was the wind in the surrounding trees. Then—

"…Hnn."

Ryoma's eyes focused on her sharply; Sakuno's breath hitched in her chest. In one fluid motion he jumped down from the wall, and as he walked toward her, she became newly aware of just how warm the afternoon was. She noticed how the sweat trickled down her neck from beneath her hair, making her shirt stick to her back. She noticed the warmth of the sun on her arms and legs. Most of all, however, she noticed the light in Ryoma's eyes, and the heat of the gaze locked with hers.

Suddenly her mouth was very dry.

_Well __**that**__ got his attention._

He came to a stop two feet away from her. She tensed, transfixed, her muscles caught between flight and fright.

"Better." He stepped forward, casually invading her space, eyes unreadable. "But you still didn't swing through."

"Ah?" said Sakuno intelligently, shuffling back half a step. He followed, moving forward the same distance, and although his expression didn't change at all from its typical deadpan appearance, Sakuno had the unsettling feeling that he was laughing at her. Rattled and embarrassed, she tried to regain her poise.

"W-well, I'll just have to try harder, then," she said, turning her back to him and starting to swing her racket vigorously. _Stupid stutter! _she cursed inwardly as she tried to ignore the gaze she could feel boring between her shoulder blades. Unfortunately, ignoring Ryoma had never been her strong suit. On the fifth pathetic excuse for a swing, a hand caught her racket.

"You're still not doing it right," said Ryoma's voice from behind her, utterly bland.

"Then why don't you help me?!" Sakuno snapped, angry but too embarrassed to turn around and face him. There was no reply. Then, silently, the hand on the racket slipped down to the handle to cover her own.

Sakuno froze. Shocked, she could only stand there as Ryoma's left hand came around her body to grip the racket as well, neatly trapping her between his arms. He stepped closer, close enough so that his front pressed against her back. Too close.

Sakuno stiffened. He noticed, of course.

"Stop that," he said bluntly, his breath tickling her ear. A pause. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Suddenly, Sakuno felt a familiar prickling from behind her eyes.

His rudeness and his coldness she could deal with. She expected them and understood them. But his kindness…his kindness was something she could not protect herself from.

She blinked hard, trying not to cry.

It was a lie, a trick, a sham. He hadn't been excited about her. He was excited by her tennis. It was always tennis with Ryoma-kun.

'I'm not going to hurt you,' Ha.

A few silent tears leaked out, her heart breaking as he held her in that horrible parody of an embrace. He leaned into her, so close it seemed like they were one person instead of two. Together they swung the tennis racket back and forth, back and forth. The wind through the racket strings sounded mournful, almost as if it were calling her name.

_Sakuno_

_**Sakuno**_

"Sakuno!"

Sakuno's eyes opened. Blearily, she looked around, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with a grimace. She knew that voice…"Obaa-chan?"

"Who else?" replied Sumire Ryuuzaki with a grin. Her face fell when she saw her granddaughter's sorrowful expression.

"Sakuno, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, obaa-chan. I just had a bad dream." Sakuno tried to smile reassuringly. Sumire smiled back, her eyes gentle as she gave her granddaughter's shoulder a brisk, comforting squeeze.

"Well, as soon as you're ready, come down to breakfast."

"I will," Sakuno answered, wringing out one more smile before her grandmother left. Once Sumire was gone, she went to the bathroom to wash her face. Looking into the mirror above the sink, she saw a pale, tired girl with messy, braided hair and eyes that looked like they had been crying.

_This is going to be a bad day._

***

"Echizen."

Ryoma turned around, tennis bag on his shoulder.

"Boucho?" he asked, halting just outside the locker room door. He wasn't exactly eager to get to class, but if he arrived late he'd be on special cleaning duty again.

"Don't leave yet," was all his stern-faced captain said. Curious, Ryoma went back inside. All the regulars had finished changing now. Some of them sat on the benches, others slouched against the walls, but despite their relaxed postures, Ryoma could tell that this was not going to be a one-on-one chat with Tezuka-boucho. They were all waiting.

Ryoma wished he hadn't taken off his hat.

Tezuka sat down on a bench. The others automatically rearranged themselves, forming a semi-circle that radiated out from the captain. Ryoma stood facing them, one on nine. Ryoma saw Inui glance at Tezuka, seeking permission. Tezuka nodded. Inui spoke.

"Echizen, it appears that you have not been fulfilling your duties."

_Duties?_

"You have been lax with regards to your responsibilities concerning Ryuuzaki."

_Oh. That._

Ryoma was becoming increasingly nervous, but he knew that showing it would only encourage his nosy teammates. So he only hitched an innocent eyebrow. Who, me?

Inui was not fooled.

"First of all, you did not protect her reputation. According to my sources, before yesterday's…event, you just stood there as Ryuuzaki _walked __right past you_." Several regulars gasped.

"Ehhhh? She kissed someone else?" exclaimed Eiji in a not-so-subtle whisper. Tezuka raised a disapproving eyebrow. Ryoma started, then tried to pretend that he hadn't.

Inui's glasses glinted accusingly. Ryoma glanced down at the floor in sullen guilt.

Momoshiro's mouth was wide with shock. _What?_ _She kissed someone else right in front of him?!?_ His hands curled into fists._ I should have lectured him more. Better yet, pounded it into his head! _

"Echizen, you moron!" he roared, forgetting in his indignation that it was Inui's time to speak. "What were you thinking, abandoning a girl in need? Idiot!"

He struck a nerve. Ryoma's head whipped around to face his sempai. He glared fiercely at Momo, his eyes dark. Momo glared right back.

"Momoshiro!" said Tezuka quellingly, his usual frown deepening. Momo's shoulders hunched slightly, as he realized what he had done.

"Ah, my bad, my bad," he said with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry Inui-sempai."

Kaido hissed derisively. "Idiot."

"Shut up, who asked you, ma—"

Inui cleared his throat pointedly. The sniping deceased—though not without a few sullen glances—and Inui calmly pushed his glasses up.

"Additionally, Echizen, because of your actions, a new threat has appeared."

"A new threat?" asked Oishi anxiously. _Their parents haven't disowned them already, have they? Oh no!_

"Ryuuzaki has been accosted." Inui noted with interest that his kohai's pupils dilated exactly .03 centimeters. _You didn't know that, did you, Echizen?_

"Accosted?" said a smooth voice. Inui turned his head in surprise. Fuji's smile was gone, his eyes open and deadly serious. Inui hand itched for his note pad. What fascinating data! He hadn't thought the unflappable Fuji Shuusuke cared about anything other than tennis and his younger brother Yuuta.

"Ah," he replied, his voice carefully neutral. "By members of the Official Echizen Ryoma Fan Club."

Ryoma paled.

"Oi, Oi. You have a fan club?" asked Momo.

"It's news to me, too," muttered Ryoma, looking positively ill.

"But howwww?" moaned Momo, green with envy. "The term barely started a month ago. Why should a rude, spoiled brat like _**you**_ have a fan club already?"

"Jealous, Momo-sempai?"

Momo's return glare was answer enough.

"W-what happened?" asked Taka timidly. "Was Ryuuzaki-san alright?"

"She is unharmed," Inui reassured him. "However," he said, turning to face Ryoma, "there is an 84.9 percent chance she may be in some danger in the future. The fan club members have a tendency to the excitable, and they did not take kindly to the rumors circulating about Tuesday morning."

"Eh?" said a puzzled Eiji, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "What rumors?"

"Why, those pertaining to the relationship between Ryuuzaki and Echizen of course," said Inui, with no small satisfaction. As one, the regulars looked at their youngest member. Ryoma's hand moved to pull down the bill of hat.

—and then stopped when he realized that he wasn't wearing it. Mildly disgruntled, he settled for an even more expressionless look than usual.

"Wait, hold on," said Momo, brow furrowed, "Who did Ryuuzaki kiss anyway?"

Inui gave a small smile. "Another first year boy." He paused for effect. "Yamada Horio."

"Ehhhh? Horio!?" chorused Momoshiro and Eiji.

"I never imagined Sakuno-chan would go for such a noisy guy. I always thought she preferred the silent, reclusive types," said Eiji, assuming a position of mock speculation—eyes narrowed, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Who knows?" replied Momoshiro in the same faux-serious manner. "Maybe she has a thing for unibrows."

"Hmmm. Possibly, possibly," continued Eiji, nodding sagely. "Or perhaps—" Ryoma tuned them out as they continued to babble.

"Then the blackmailer theory is incorrect," mused Oishi. "Or at least, his motive remains concealed. After all, how would making Ryuuzaki-san kiss Horio-kun interfere with our teamwork? He's not one of the regulars."

"True," agreed Inui, pushing up his glasses. "Which means that ascertaining the true identity of the culprit will be that much more difficult."

"Regardless of the circumstances, we will continue to protect Ryuuzaki-sensei's granddaughter," said Tezuka with total finality.

"Yes," agreed Fuji, smiling amiably, "but this time we will do a better job. _Won't we_, _**Echizen**_?" Although his voice was light and pleasant, his eyes were wintry.

Erk.

"Hai," muttered Ryoma, without enthusiasm.

"That's the spirit," said Fuji sunnily.

"That reminds me," said Inui with a ghoulish smile. His glasses flashed with excitement. "We had an agreement, Echizen." From behind his back he brought out a pitcher filled with a bubbling red liquid. It gargled and oozed, with a poisonous reek redolent of rotten eggs.

As the stench pervaded the changing room Momo and Eiji stopped their hypothesizing abruptly. All the regulars stared at the repulsive liquid, hypnotized in disgust. Even Fuji, who was usually unaffected by the data man's noxious mixtures, had turned a pale green. Ryoma took a step back.

"No way," he said flatly, eyeing the pitcher in fear. It fizzed back at him with gleeful malice. "I won't drink that stuff."

"Echizen," said Tezuka sternly. "You made a promise. You have only yourself to blame for the consequences. Do not go back on your word. Drink it."

"…Yada."

The other regulars, relieved to see the punishment fall on someone else, joined in.

"Drink it!" they yelled.

"Yada."

"Drink it!"

"Yada!"

"Don't try to run away!"

"Get off!"

"Damn it, keep still Echizen!"

"Let go of me!"

"Pinch his nose!"

"YADAAAAAAAA!"

***

_RIIIIIINGGG!_

_Ack! The bell! _Panting, Sakuno pelted up the last of the stairs, praying that Oda-sensei had stopped for coffee this morning. Although he was rarely on time himself, the crusty old English teacher was one of the strictest in the school, and she really couldn't afford to lose any points in that class. Ah, well. At least the running was good conditioning.

She skidded around the last corner, looking anxiously down the hall. A large group of Sakuno's classmates were clustered in the hall outside the classroom, chatting animatedly, with _no professor in sight_, yes! There was Horio-kun, and Katsuo-kun, as well as a few other boys and girls that she knew fairly well by face, if not yet by name. But where was—

"WHAAAAAAT?!"

Sakuno winced, derailed from her ponderings of the whereabouts of certain tennis prodigy. Ahh, the dulcet tones of Tomo-chan. She followed the voice to its source, wiggling her way into the group. Her friend was not very difficult to find; she appeared to be in the middle of her daily argument with Horio.

"No way," the outspoken girl was saying dismissively, shaking her head, her pigtails swaying. "Im-_**po**_-ssible!"

"It is _not_—!" began Horio angrily. When he caught sight of Sakuno however, the argument on his lips died. He made a small choking sound, and was silent.

"Um… good morning," Sakuno said hesitantly, a bit unnerved by his response, but still trying to work up a smile.

Horio blushed right up to his eyebrow.

"Sakuno!" squealed Tomoka, pouncing with an enthusiastic good morning hug. "Finally, you're here! I waited for you earlier, but you never came. What took you so long?" she demanded, her smile fading slightly as she took in the bags beneath her friend's eyes, the weary tension in her shoulders.

"I slept in a bit today," Sakuno replied, once she was capable of breathing again. Tomo-chan's hugs were always rather…intense.

Tomoka didn't press for information, shrugging good-naturedly. "Well, you weren't the only one. _Horio _here," she said, with a glance in the rapidly purpling boy's direction, "he slept so much; he dreamt up that he had a girlfriend." She gave a disdainful little sniff.

"A girlfriend?" echoed Sakuno, glancing curiously over at Horio.

"Wh—What are you talking about Osakada!" sputtered Horio indignantly, with a shifty look in Sakuno's direction, "I told you; it was not a dream!"

"Is that riiiight?" she drawled, sweetness over scorn, raising a mocking eyebrow. "Then, please tell us, _Casanova-sama_, who is it? Or does she only make herself visible to you?"

This last barb was simply too much for Horio's dignity. Quickly, he grabbed Sakuno's hands. Caught completely off-guard, Sakuno stumbled forward into his chest.

_Eh?_

"I kept it quiet until you got here," said Horio fervently, clasping her hands in his own, looking deeply into Sakuno's wide eyes, "I knew you would want to wait until we were together to make the announcement."

_Ehhhh?_

"Ryuuzaki and I," Horio gulped in a steadying breath, "Ryuuzaki and I…are going out!"

_EHHHHHHH?_

***

_A beautiful house, full of echoes. Perfect rugs, perfect furniture, everything in its perfect place. Inside, the doll girl stands perfectly still, wondering..._

_First, the door, opening with a click, closing with a thunk. Second, the footsteps, flat on the tile. Third, the shoes—slip them off, line them up, put them away—neatly, neatly. Fourth, the coat, into the closet, into the dark. (Don't look.) Fifth, the voices, warm and welcoming—mother, father, finally back from work—No. Don't lie. There is no fifth._

_It's fine. You won't miss it. The fifth was unnecessary, a burden. _

_You didn't need them, anyway._

Carefully, Kure Umi closed the closet door. She stepped up onto the polished marble floor of the foyer, her hand tightening on the strap of her school bag—a small, involuntary clench, just like always. She looked down at it, frowning; the hand loosened. Somewhere, a clock chimed the hour:

one, two, three, four...

Umi took a controlled breath.

"I'm home." (I'm home…home…home…)

***

_Pok! _

"Good return, Ryuuzaki-san!"

Sakuno gave the first un-nervous smile she'd had all day.

"Thank you, Dan-san!" she called back to the figure across the court, running to the opposite corner to return his next shot. She struck the ball hard, relishing the motion: the wind whistling through her racket, the pivot of her torso as she swung, the force in her arm slamming into the small yellow ball—all of it. It felt good.

Usually she was shy, timid Sakuno, a mousy girl with enough courage to fill an eggcup. But here, here within the lines of the court, she was Ryuuzaki, a girl who really enjoyed whapping the heck out of something other than herself for once. Ryuuzaki didn't have to be nice. She didn't have to suppress her anger, didn't have to pretend she wasn't sad. Ryuuzaki was braver, stronger, more confident. She didn't stutter, didn't blush, didn't trip. Well…she still tripped sometimes. But she got up again.

Dan Taichi served the ball right back, another cross-court shot, this time with an added slicing spin. The ball's path curved towards the deep corner. _He's trying to pin me to the baseline and tire me out by making me run back and forth._Sakuno sprinted to the line, heart pounding, and caught it before it bounced. Trying to buy time and force him back she returned a high lob, and pelted forward towards the net. Dan was surprised by her attack, and struck a slightly weaker return right down the center. Seeing her chance, Sakuno drew her racket back for the smash—

**POMF!**

_PokPok!_

Sakuno stared dumbly at the place where the ball had hit on her side of the court.

Really, she mused, she ought to have known better. Although Dan-san was not quite on the same level as Echizen-kun or the regulars, he was still a good player in his own right, quick and smart, with a knack for returning the most unlikely of shots.

"_Would you play a game with me?"_

It was funny really, this ritual they had. She had been practicing against the wall on a Friday afternoon much like this one when…

"_Are you__** sure **__you're okay?" Sakuno asked for the third time as she surveying the latest victim of her wayward serve, her eyes scanning anxiously for any lasting injuries. _

"_Ah, no, it's fine. This sort of thing happens to me all the time," the boy replied, rubbing the back of his bent head. "Usually though,__I'm the one who's hit the ball…um." He raised his eyes to meet hers, smiling sheepishly, and Sakuno let out a quiet gasp. Dark hair, slim build, tennis racket in hand. His eyes were deep brown rather than hazel and his hair was slightly longer. No Fila cap either. But still…the likeness was uncanny._

"_Are you all right?" _

_Sakuno blinked._

"_Hm? Yes, I'm…fine." She shook her head once, firmly. "I mean—please, pardon my rudeness. Is there something I can get for your head? Anything I can do to help?"_

_The boy looked at her for a moment, his eyes alighting on the racket at her side. _

_He smiled…_

"That was close!" said Dan. He smiled at Sakuno from across the net. "Would you like to keep playing, or are you ready to take a break now, Ryuuzaki-san?"

Sakuno shook herself from her recollective stupor. "Ah, a break please, thank you," she said, with a tired smile. They sat down on a nearby bench in the shade of some conveniently leafy trees. Sakuno contemplated her water bottle in silence. To her left, a pair of dark eyes studied her.

"Is there…something on your mind, Ryuuzaki-san?" Dan asked tentatively.

"Eh?" Sakuno looked up, startled. "Oh! No, it's nothing really," she answered with a small head shake and a distracted half-smile, turning her gaze once more to the bottle in her hands.

Dan was unconvinced. Was that really the truth, or was that girl-speak for, "Yes, but it would be rude to talk about it" or maybe, "Yes, but I don't really feel like talking about it right now"? Ryuuzaki-san, he knew, was a nice girl, and very polite; she would suffer through his inquiries so as not to hurt his feelings. He wouldn't want to pester her or impose on their still-young friendship. But she looked so unhappy…

He sighed. With Jin-sempai, this had never been a problem. He had just said or asked about whatever he felt like until his upperclassman left, or glared him into silence, or said something straightforward, like, "Shut it before I make you, runt."

Dan sighed again, wistfully. Guys were so much less complicated than girls.

"-san? Dan-san?"

Dan started. "Oh! S-Sorry!" he stuttered, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment at his inattentiveness. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What self-respecting teenage guy blushed, anyway? "Um, what?"

Sakuno giggled, then sobered. "Well," she spoke slowly, "What I said earlier—that "nothing"? That nothing wasn't really nothing. It was a something-nothing. You see?"

Dan didn't, but he nodded anyway. Reassured, Sakuno continued.

"It's—it's just—it's been a very strange week…"

***

_Bzzt! Bzzt! _

Ryoma dug his hand into the pocket of his shorts. Grabbing his cell phone, he looked at the view screen. MOMO it declared in bold lettering.

Ryoma considered hanging up.

Pros: He wouldn't have to deal with his noisy upperclassman and could go on enjoying his walk. Cons: Momo-sempai would know what he had done, and the next time he saw Ryoma, would be _extra _noisy…especially as Ryoma had already hung up on him twice today.

With a slight grimace, Ryoma answered the call.

"**FINALLY **YOU PICK UP! I CAN'T BELIEVE—" Ryoma held the phone as far away from his person as he could and waited for his sempai's voice to return to a more reasonable decibel level. After a minute or so, once Momo's voice seemed to have calmed down, Ryoma spoke.

"What is it, Momo-sempai," he said, resigned to his fate.

"Where is 'the bunny' right now?" asked Momo, his voice suddenly covert.

"Huh?" said Ryoma intelligently.

"The _bunny!"_replied Momo in a strangled whisper. "_Ryuuzaki_," he hissed meaningfully. "You're supposed to be following her!"

"…"

From the other end of the line Ryoma heard a sound rather like that when a person hits their forehead with their hand.

"Oh crap. You have no idea where she is, do you?" said Momo hollowly. Ryoma thought fast.

"Of course I do," he said confidently.

Momo groaned.

"You forgot about it _completely_. You have no clue and you weren't even looking for her."

Um.

Oh, well. He had started it. He might as well see it through.

"I know where she is," answered Ryoma, feeling nettled.

"Uh-huh," said Momo, completely disbelieving. "So where is she?" Ryoma's mind raced.

"She's at the"—he glanced around—"park."

"The park, huh?"

"Yes," he replied, with total assurance and absolutely no truthfulness whatsoever.

"And what is she doing?" queried Momo, still not buying it.

"Practicing," said Ryoma promptly in a strike of genius. She ought to be anyway. Last time he checked, her backhand needed work.

"You're lying," said Momo, but a hint of doubt had entered his voice. As was his nature, Ryoma quickly took the advantage.

"She's putting away her racket…now she's taking off her wristband," he continued, trying to make it sound convincing. The controlled urgency in his tone lent a nicely realistic shade to his story. (He _really _wanted out of this phone call.) "And she's just picked up her water bottle; looks like she's done for today. I have to go, sempai."

"Hey—" started Momo. Ruthlessly, Ryoma cut him off.

"I won't be able to keep following if I'm talking."

"Yeah, but—"

"Who knows when I might have to intervene?"

"Echizen, wai—"

"Ja," and with that, Ryoma clicked his phone shut, a self-satisfied smile on his face. He then looked around, searching for long braids.

_Now, if I were Ryuuzaki, where would I be? _

***

"—and everybody has been acting strangely around me recently. I saw Kaido-sempai in the halls and he wouldn't even look at me! In fact, when he saw me, he turned around and practically ran away. And Horio-kun…" Sakuno gulped. "Horio-kun is a bit confused."

"Confused?"

She flushed. "He seems to be under the impression that…well, that we're…" she looked down, her hands twisting anxiously in her lap, "—but we're not! We're really, _really _not, unless I've gone and done something strange again and just forgotten about it—" She waved her hands frantically, her voice growing more and more shrill. "Not that liking Horio-kun would be strange or anything; he's a good person, just a little…" she winced, "…enthusiastic."

"Oh. Um. Okay…?" voiced Dan uncertainly, feeling very much out of his depth (…and just a little worried—was being enthusiastic _bad _now?). He floundered for something, anything useful to say. "Excuse me, but…what do you mean, 'something strange,' Ryuuzaki-san?"

Sakuno frowned, her embarrassment momentarily forgotten. "It's just a small thing, but on Tuesday morning I found myself on the boy's tennis courts with no memory of how I had got there."

_Wow, that __**is**__ weird, _was Dan's first very (un)helpful thought, which he wisely decided not to voice. Ryuuzaki-san looked nervous enough.

What would Jin-sempai do in this situation? Dan's imagination readily provided many solutions; unfortunately, all of them involved the liberal application of violence._ Okay_, he decided, grimacing slightly, _bad example_. What about Sengoku-sempai, then? He was smart, and eager to help girls, "Especially the cute ones!"...oh dear. _Why do I have such unhelpful role-models? _

Helplessly, he glanced over at his companion…and winced. Lousy role-models aside, he really ought to say something before Ryuuzaki-san's face got stuck like that.

"Ryuuzaki-san, umm…were you…tired that morning?" he said, lamely. "Or maybe…working late or very early on a project?"

"Well, I cleaned for Inui-sempai. I think I must have tripped, because I woke up on the floor."

Dan's eyebrows shot up.

Seeing his expression, Sakuno hurried to reassure him. "Don't worry; I went to the nurse's office later that day. She said I was fine," she said, waving her hands placatingly. Dan relaxed.

"Sorry Ryuuzaki-san, it was silly of me." He grinned. "After all, I also know what it's like to be clumsy."

"Me, clumsy?" sniffed Sakuno, sticking her nose in the air in mock-affrontery, "How could you say that? I'll have you know I have the best balance in Japan!"

At that, Dan just couldn't help himself; he burst into laughter.

***

Ryoma paced through the park, his steps brisk. After all, he might as well go where he said he was going to be. He scanned his surroundings, constantly on the watch for the tell-tale braids.

The truth was, although his outward appearance did not reveal it, he was starting to get edgy. He had checked the racket stringer's, the mall, the school. He had even swung by her apartment, narrowly evading additional chores from her frighteningly active grandmother. Still nothing.

If Ryuuzaki did go all weird today—and Inui-sempai said the odds were good—if he didn't stop her from kissing another innocent bystander, he, Echizen Ryoma, would be in Big Trouble. Even if by some miracle he survived the next batch of Inui-juice, there would still be disapproving looks, deafening Momo-sempai and Kikumaru-sempai rebukes, and a whole host of other annoyances to deal with. The captain would probably make him run laps around the whole of Japan. He didn't even want to _think _about what Fuji-sempai would do to him.

He didn't really have a plan. He wasn't even sure how he was supposed to 'intervene' anyway. He was, however, very sure on one point: it was all Ryuuzaki's fault.

Ryoma had no sooner decided this than his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a peal of laughter. He turned. There, not thirty feet away, was Ryuuzaki. She was sitting on a park bench near their Sunday practice court, dressed in tennis gear, water bottle at her side.

And she was laughing.

Ryoma stared. He didn't think he'd ever heard her laugh like this. She smiled, yes, and she had laughed in front of him before. But it was always soft laughter—muted, repressed, under control. Not like this; this free, joyful sound.

It was annoying.

He had scraped spitballs. He had drunk the Inui-juice. He had just spent what felt like an eternity looking for her. Her hair was too long. Her laugh was too loud. And there were _two_ water bottles.

…So.

She had been practicing. Here. At the Sunday courts. She had been practicing_ with_ someone_._ Else.

_So._

Ryuuzaki was laughing so hard she was turning pink. A few of her bangs fell from her clip. They fluttered around her face as she continued to laugh, softer now, more like giggles. The boy on the bench reached over, tucking the errant bangs back in under her hair pin awkwardly, his fingers fumbling. Ryuuzaki smiled, a little shyly, and thanked him. A light blush dusted her cheeks.

Abruptly, Ryoma changed his mind. He strode towards the pair, hands thrust deep into his pockets.

Time to intervene.

***

"Hey."

Sakuno looked up, the blood draining from her face.

"…oh," she breathed, voice faint, "Echizen-kun." Their eyes met, and Sakuno recoiled. His expression was so dark, he was practically glaring. "I-Is something wrong?"

"Eh? Echizen…? Ah! Echizen-san!"

Sakuno felt an intense gratitude for all things Dan when, startled, Ryoma turned to look at the other occupant of the bench.

"…Dan?"

"Mm-hm!" Dan replied, a bright smile on his face. "It's been a while, hasn't it? It's good to see you."

"Un," answered Ryoma, a little dazed. Challenging a faceless goon was one thing. Using his tennis to humiliate happy-go-lucky-short-comrade-in-arms-I-want-to-become-a-great-player-like-Echizen-san Dan was quite another. For one, it wouldn't be much of a challenge. It would also feel a lot like kicking a puppy.

"So, what brings you here, Echizen-san?" Dan inquired amiably.

Ryoma was at a loss. Surely this wasn't how interventions were supposed to go.

He muttered something about being out for a walk.

Sakuno was not convinced. But suddenly that didn't matter very much because this wonderful tingly feeling was spreading through her body…

_What's happening…to…me?_

***

With a small groan, Sakuno opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Dan, staring at her in bewilderment. He looked uneasy, skittish even, and utterly, utterly shocked. She tilted her head to the side. It might just have been her imagination, but he also looked considerably more rumpled than he had been when they sat down. His dark hair— usually a bit disheveled at best—was positively messy, and his cheeks were flushed. Ryoma, on the other hand, was very still. His gaze was colder than she had ever seen it.

Sakuno's face fell. She shrank back from them, and asked, in a voice that quavered slightly, "What's wrong? Dan-san, what is it?"

"You—you don't _remember_?" he said squeakily.

Sakuno blanched. "Remember…? I-I don't know what—"

"Ryuuzaki."

Sakuno's head jerked up, the half-formed words dying in her throat. Ryoma moved closer, his voice ominously flat. "**Explain**."

…_He stepped forward, casually invading her space, eyes unreadable. "I'm not going to hurt you…"_

Sakuno blinked the thought away.

"I—I…" Explain _what? _Her gaze flitted frantically between the two boys, desperately looking for some clue. What she could have done to offend them so? Nervously, she wet her lips. "I'm…sorry?"

Ryoma's brows dipped. "You're sorry," he echoed levelly.

"…yes?"

"That doesn't make any sense," he stated bluntly, crossing his arms. Before he could demand any other impossible explanations, Sakuno made her escape, deftly ducking to the side and hopping up off the bench.

"Ah! Ryuuzaki-san!"

She snatched up her racket and water bottle quickly, sketching a hasty bow as she shuffled hurriedly backwards, away from Dan-san's hurt expression and Echizen-kun's difficult questions. "Thanks again for practice, Dan-san; I'll see you next week!"

"Ryuuzaki-san, wai—"

"Obaa-chan will be expecting me! Please excuse me!" And with that, she was off; trotting briskly in what she really, really hoped was the direction of her apartment.

***

"Tch!" Inui tutted in annoyance as peered down into the murky corner between the bookshelf and supply cabinet.

How was he supposed to reach it now? The test tube was vital. After all, it contained his newest and best energy formula for the team.

Oh well, there was nothing for it. Falling to his hands and knees, he stretched his arm out, blindly feeling for the small glass tube. Instead, his fingers brushed something rough. He pulled his hand back, opening it to reveal the… piece of paper. He glanced at the cramped writing.

Behind his glasses, Inui's eyes widened.

--

**A/N:** Again, _so sorry_for taking so long. Thanks for reading; we finally made it to the end of Day Four! *flopdies*

It's an angsty-ish one too, with some new styles; I'm not sure how well I balanced it. If you have any ideas or just want to say Hi, well, you know the drill. :3 That being said, when I wasn't flailing, writing this chapter was really fun. I always thought that if Dan and Sakuno ever met, they would be bestest buddies in no time. :D

(By the way, the little blurb summary at the bottom of Day Three mentioned a scheme. If you didn't see it, don't worry! **You are not crazy. **It just so happens that in the thousands of revisions I did on this chappie that section was dropped.)

**Next Time: **The regulars _finally _get it, and Sakuno...sorta loses it. Secrets will be revealed. Eaves will be dropped. And Momo-sempai will get his burger even if it kills him!

**Japanese Words...um, word**

Yada: No way


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